Tesco has pulled the plug on its €15m contract with Silvercrest following the horsemeat scandal as the Irish company braced itself for the possibility of Burger King following suit.

Co-operative Group became the UK’s fourth largest pharmacy chain today after announcing deals to buy two regional chemist busineses.

The bid battle for British supermarket group Somerfield took a new twist today when the country’s biggest regional co-operative group entered the fray.