A new £6.8 billion landmark deal has been agreed to officially place ASDA into the ownership of billionaire Issa brothers from Blackburn.
The reported multi-billion deal will see the supermarket chain under British ownership after 20 years.
Previous American-owner Walmart has accepted an offer from a consortium of Zuber and Mohsin Issa – of EG Group – and private equity firm TDR Capital, which meaning the supermarket chain will be majority owned by UK firms for the first time since 1999.
Roger Burnley – Chief Executive Officer of ASDA – said: “This new ownership opens an exciting new chapter in ASDA’s long heritage of delivering great value for UK shoppers.
“With our combined investment, expertise and ambition, ASDA, Walmart, the Issa brothers and TDR have an incredible opportunity to accelerate our existing strategy and develop an even more exciting offer for our customers as well as strengthen our business for our colleagues.
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“In a constantly changing retailing environment, our new ownership will further enhance our resilience, whilst creating significant, additional opportunities to drive growth.
“For ASDA colleagues, a strong and growing business is important for our long-term future.”
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EG Group / Issa Brothers
Mohsin and Zuber Issa started out in a garage which their dad – who had worked in a woollen mill – bought and branched out on their own by first renting a petrol station for two years, then in 2001 buying their first forecourt – a derelict freehold site in Bury – and formed Euro Garages.
The EG Group now has almost 6,000 sites across 10 countries, from the UK to the US and Australia. It runs outlets for Greggs, Starbucks and KFC, and employs 44,000 people.
In 2017, the EG Group also bought 77 Little Chef roadside restaurants.
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Speaking on the ASDA deal, Mohsin and Zuber Issa said: “We are very proud to be investing in ASDA, an iconic British business that we have admired for many years.
“ASDA customer-centric philosophy, focus on operational excellence and commitment to the communities in which it operates are the same values that we have built EG Group on [and ASDA’s] performance through the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the fundamental strength and resilience of the business,
“We are excited to support Roger and his team as they continue to reposition the business to drive long-term growth.”
Zuber continued: “We grew [the EG Group] from nothing. We’ve been on the pumps, we’ve been stocking the shelves, cleaning the toilets. You do everything, and once you do the foundation work, it’s no different wherever you go in the world.
“It’s a petrol station – you’re selling fuel, you’re selling coffee, you’re selling convenience.”
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BBC cancel three hit shows, including legendary stand-up series, Live at the Apollo
Danny Jones
The BBC have reportedly cancelled three of their hit TV shows, including the long-standing Live at the Apollo.
With the company facing even more cuts and the television industry facing the ever-changing obstacles set about by increasingly dominant digital platforms, the hit live stand-up series, which has run for over two decades, is the latest big IP on the chopping block.
But that’s not all: joining them in cancellation after long stints on the box are Celebrity Mastermind and the most recently rebooted version of British favourite, Blankety Blank, brought back with Bradley Walsh as host back in 2020.
With roughly 65 full-length seasons between them, and literally hundreds of episodes under their belt, the unfortunate trio have fallen foul for varying reasons.
At first I read that as Celebrity Masterchef, but that show is immortal.
Really surprised to see Live at the Apollo go. It can't cost much and has been instrumental in giving many comedians their big TV breaks. https://t.co/BrT8k2hoYd
While Walsh announced that he was quitting the programme after three series (the fourth was set to begin recording later this year) largely due to scheduling conflicts, the driving force behind the decision is the aforementioned cutbacks.
In case you hadn’t heard, the BBC has seen an approximately £500 million reduction in annual spending, which has meant that one or more productions were always going to be hit hard as a result.
They are aiming to save upwards of £100m annually, which is set to come in the form of 100-150 hours less originally telly by the end of 2028.
Issuing an official statement, they say: “We are incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows and would like to thank everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera, for bringing them to screen and making them such a success over many years.
“Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the entertainment genre.”
With Live at the Apollo, in particular, having served as an important proving ground and spotlighting stage for rising comics, the UK mainstay originally hosted by Jack Dee is sadly going the way of Mock the Week by being pulled after 22 years on the air.
As you can see, it’s already been heavily mourned by performers around the comedy circuit and fans alike. It goes without saying that those within the industry know all too well how important it’s been.
Unfortunately, more announcements and cuts are expected throughout the remainder of the year as the BBC‘s entertainment arm tries to regain profitability.
This means that these three likely won’t be the last to be axed; who knows? Given that even the biggest of IPs don’t seem to be safe, maybe even mainline Mastermind could be in trouble…
It’s also worth noting that this news comes not long after the media giants launched their big campaign to reassert their domestic significance and beyond, with more and more people straying away from the TV licence in favour of modern streaming.
You can read the full ‘savings’ update right HERE.
Co-op Live appears to tease major Mariah Carey Christmas gig sending fans into a frenzy
Emily Sergeant
All we want for Christmas… is Mariah Carey in Manchester.
And maybe, just maybe, our Christmas wish might come true very soon, as Co-op Live has taken to social media today to tease its next gig announcement with its hundreds of thousands of followers, and without jumping to conclusions, it does appear to be hinting at the queen of Christmas herself making an appearance.
Look, we know it’s only July and right in the middle of summer, but even if you think it’s too early to be talking about the festive season, you have to admit that the potential of Mariah Carey coming to Manchester is worth getting excited any time of the year.
The US pop powerhouse last performed in our city nearly a decade ago now when she brought her famous All I Want For Christmasshow to the UK for the first time ever, taking to sold-out Manchester Arena stage on 10 December 2017.
Mariah has not performed in Manchester since, but all that could be set to change as Co-op Live has hinted that an announcement is ‘coming soon’.
Taking to its official social media platforms today, Co-op Live posted a very festive-themed AI video of snow falling on the arena as the camera zoomed in and the instrumental of Mariah’s absolutely iconic hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ playing in the background, and the caption hinting at the song’s title too.
Of course, we could be wrong, it might not be Mariah at all, but if the 300+ comments from fans in a frenzy thinking the same as us are anything to go by, it’s looking like we might be right.
“The countdown to Christmas is on,” Co-op Live said in its video, before letting fans know that they would be getting some form of confirmation soon.
The Manc -
2nd October 2020 
