The bosses of Sainsbury’s and Asda came under fire from MPs this week at a select committee assessing the impact of the combined business on consumers and suppliers. The conclusions of the committee will affect the number of stores the combined company would have to shed from its 2,800-store portfolio under competition regulations.
Roger Burnley, Asda chief executive, and Mike Coupe, Sainsbury’s chief executive, were accused by Neil Parish, chair of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs committee, of “talking baloney” regarding the new entity’s combined market share. Burnley was accused of misleading the committee by claiming it would have a combined 25% share, while Parish said official figures showed 31%.
