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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Greater Manchester shoppers can take part in a real-life supermarket sweep competition
Emily Sergeant
Aldi is giving Greater Manchester shoppers the chance to take part in a real-life supermarket sweep for charity.
Building on the success of Aldi Scotland’s long-running initiative – which has raised more than £60,000 for charity over the past decade – Aldi is bringing its successful ‘Supermarket Sweep’ fundraiser to England and Wales for the first time, and shoppers from across Greater Manchester will have the chance to take part for a brilliant cause.
10 winners will be selected to take part in the challenge at their local Aldi store, racing against the clock to fill their trolley with Aldi products in just five minutes.
Once the dash is complete, Aldi will donate the full value of each winning trolley to Teenage Cancer Trust, helping to support young people with cancer across the UK.
Unfamiliar with Supermarket Sweep the TV show? This is how it works.
Shoppers can take part in a real-life supermarket sweep competition / Credit: Aldi
The game consists of three teams of two, each with a clock that starts with 60 seconds on it. The teams then attempt to add as much time as possible to their clock by answering questions and riddles posed by the host. The time they accumulate determines how long they have in the ‘Big Sweep’ round to run around a studio mock-up of a supermarket, collecting shopping items.
The team with the shopping trolley filled with items of the most value wins the chance to enter the final ‘Super Sweep’ prize round.
Speaking as entries to the unique competition open this week, Julie Ashfield, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: “Our customers are always incredibly supportive of the causes we champion, and we’re pleased to be bringing this much-loved fundraising initiative to England and Wales for the first time.
“We can’t wait to give shoppers the opportunity to put their trolley-dashing skills to the test, while helping to raise vital funds for Teenage Cancer Trust. Every pound raised will help the charity continue providing specialist care and support to young people with cancer when they need it most.”
The competition is now open, with entries closing at 23:59 on Tuesday 4 August.
To enter, you’ll simply need to email [email protected] with your details for the chance to win, and you can find all the terms and conditions here.
Featured Image – Aldi
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England given potential advantage against Norway after reports of illness in World Cup camp
Danny Jones
England may have just been given a potential advantage ahead of the 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Norway, as it’s said that multiple players have been feeling sick of late.
Now, we’d never wish illness upon anyone… BUT, you certainly won’t hear us complaining about this one.
Yes, according to head coach Ståle Solbakken, some of his teammates haven’t been at their best over the last few days, but he has assured supporters that everyone is recovering well.
Speaking to the media before the upcoming clash, the manager said: “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen of Crystal Palace] who has had a fever, but then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping scattered throughout [the national squad].”
He’s also admitted the Three Lions will be a tough challenge.
However, the initially reported ‘sickness bug’ is now being played down, with Solbakken noting that with his wider travelling camp having to contend with temperatures, altitude, air conditioning, flights, “changing rooms and all that […] it would be strange if something or other didn’t crop up.”
So, while it may have been exaggerated to a degree, they’ve certainly not been 100%.
The Scandinavian outfit are based at a training complex in Greensboro, North Carolina for this year’s World Cup – their first in nearly three decades – and have had to fly all across the United States for their matches in Boston, New York and Dallas thus far.
Once again, though, even the team doctor has told Norwegian press that the claims have been blown out of proportion, citing “very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks”, and insisting that “all players are healthy now”.
Even James Corden was quizzing the opposition on the claims ahead of the fixture:
When asked about the truth in the headlines by domestic news outlet Nettavisen, he even went on to add: “So great that they believe this. We are in control.”
So perhaps there is a bit of sensationalism and/or gamesmanship at work, but that won’t stop us from hoping for a second that there’s even a shred of weakness to be capitalised on.
It remains to be seen just what condition both teams are in after the respective round of 16 thrillers – especially Thomas Tuchel’s side, who had to do it the hard way with 10 men against Mexico in that exhausting first knockout tie – but we’ll take whatever glimmer of hope we can that luck is on our side.
And regardless, it’s given England fans online plenty of material to have some fun with ahead of what is no doubt set to be another very long and stressful night this weekend.
The Manc -
2nd October 2020 
