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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James’ Tim Booth is the ‘only person in Britain insured to crowd surf’ – here’s the story behind it
Legendary Greater Mancunians James are currently back out on the road and delighting fans as per, especially with their ever-energetic lead singer, Tim Booth, doing his thingboth up on stage and out in the audience too.
But did you know that Bradford-born Booth claims to be the only person who is actually insured to crowd surf in the entire UK?
Well, neither did we until this week.
Playing another pair of massive shows at Halifax’s unbelievable amphitheatre, The Piece Hall, following their two sell-out shows at the amphitheatre back in 2023, the Yorkshireman spoke to Chris Hawkins about how the whole thing came about – and how he earned himself this unique title.
You heard it here 👀
@wearejames 's Tim Booth is the only person in Britain insured to crowd surf 🏄♂️⚡
Joined by bandmate and founding member Jim Glennie for a lengthy interview, Booth was asked just how “high-risk” his infamous crowdsurfing is these days, explaining that although he does “choose [his] moments, there’s little more thinking that goes into it than making sure they don’t have their phones up.
Not because of filming concerns or anything like that, mind you, simply because catching him one-handed wouldn’t be safe enough.
The BBC Radio 6 DJ and presenter then asked if being “insured to crowd surf” is a possibility, at which point he singer-songwriter and actor revealed, “I’m the only person in Britain insured to crowd surf.”
While we’re sure some international acts take out some kind of policy to protect themselves when interacting with the crowd, the liability usually falls on the venue – unless you’re Tim Booth, apparently.
Hence why he can do stuff like without almost any hesitation:
As you can see, the frenetic frontman is still jumping up and down as he always has; even at 65 years old, he’s not afraid to get amongst it and bring their party vibes to their gigs.
He goes on to add that despite a company threatening to remove that particular clause around five years ago, he said that after seeing some of his performance in person, they joked that it was more like the crowd was merely ‘passing him around.’
When we spoke to bassist Jim ourselves earlier this year, he said of his long-time friend: “He’s not as young as he used to be, none of us are, but it’s what he does and he loves it – we’re still amazed by his energy to this day.”
You only have to look at his antics over the years for it to click that interacting with the crowd in this way is something he’s always done, and given his special and seemingly unprecedented protection, we imagine he won’t stop until his body physically won’t let him.
Tim Booth crowd surfing at Athen’s Ejekt Festival back in 2016.…and at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia just last year.Christos Gaifyllias/Jim Powers (screenshots via YouTube)
In terms of all-out performers who leave everything up there on the stage, Booth may just be up there with one of the most underrated this country has ever produced.
And we’re not just saying that because he’s a Northerner and Manc adoptee, though the group’s much-loved local status does grant them bonus points.
We certainly enjoyed seeing them at Neighbourhood Weekender this year and, much like Tim himself, we have no intention of sitting down to see a James gig.
In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.
Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.
The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.
But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.
Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained
Look up tonight for something sweet!
The full Strawberry Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes for the time of year that berries ripen, will take to the night skies on June 10-11. pic.twitter.com/GKr41bGUUV
Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.
The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.
Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) June 10, 2025
Why so low, moon-face?
As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…
“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”
With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.
Speaking of…
When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?
Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.
However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.
The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.
In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.
The Manc -
2nd October 2020 
