Upmarket Finest range helps lift Tesco sales amid UK ‘home dining boom’
Households treating themselves to Tesco’s upmarket Finest range have helped lift sales at the UK’s biggest supermarket, with analysts suggesting high restaurant prices could be driving a home-dining boom.Sales of the high-end own-brand line jumped 18% in the first quarter, while fresh food purchases were also boosted by shoppers enjoying picnics and barbecues in the sunny spring weather.Tesco’s UK stores recorded a 5.1% increase in like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to 24 May, while the chain also grew its market share during the period as it fought off competition from rivals including the discounters Aldi and Lidl.The retailer said it had worked on its pricing to bring in more customers and matched prices at Aldi on more than 600 items.
“The market remains intensely competitive and we are committed to ensuring customers get the best value in the market by shopping at Tesco,” said its chief executive, Ken Murphy,Retail analysts pointed to the success of the supermarket’s own-brand offering,Dan Lane, of Robinhood UK, said that in an increasingly tough trading environment, Tesco’s Finest range had become “something of a secret weapon” to entice cash-strapped shoppers to spend on more premium items,“Staying sensitive to purse strings and giving customers the chance to spend up is vital in an inflationary environment,” Lane said,“Shoppers looking to trade down from increasingly expensive restaurants are opting for the premium offering at home instead – 18% growth tells us the strategy is working.
”Supermarkets are fighting over customers amid a challenging trading environment.Asda is trying to turn around several years of weak trading by cutting its prices.At the same time, grocery price inflation is on the increase again, having jumped to 4.1% in May, the highest level in 15 months, driven by the rising cost of items such as butter and chocolate, according to Kantar.The market research company found that shoppers are increasingly looking for discount deals and turning to supermarket own-label products as a way to manage their budgets.
The mounting cost of dining out, even for a casual meal, was weighing on consumers, said Clive Black, head of consumer research at Shore Capital.“A lot of families are finding that going out, mum, dad, plus the kids for pizza and a beer is £100, and they can get much better value by going to a supermarket.We have seen premium private label demand at M&S, Sainsbury’s and Tesco manifest some of that,” said Black.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionWhile the discounters have continued to grow their share of the grocery market in recent months, their upmarket rival Marks & Spencer has also had an increase in spending on groceries, despite its recent difficulties caused by a cyber-attack.“Tesco has successfully fought off discount rivals Aldi and Lidl and protected its dominant UK market position, yet at no point can it take its foot off the pedal,” said Russ Mould, investment director at the broker AJ Bell.
“The moment Tesco relaxes is the point at which rival operators pounce on the opportunity to eat some of its lunch.”
‘They’re living in fantasy land’: Uber to trial self-driving taxis in London next spring
Tech firms have transformed how the public takes taxis, but echoes remain from the minicab controllers of old: not least the promise that a long-awaited vehicle is – really, this time – just around the corner.Now Uber has announced that self-driving taxis will appear on roads in London next year, after the UK government confirmed that trials of fully autonomous vehicles would be brought forward to spring 2026.For the first time in Europe, companies will be allowed to run pilots of small-scale taxi or “bus-like” services for public use without any human safety driver onboard or in the driving seat.Uber will work with the UK tech firm Wayve to launch trials of taxis bookable via its app in the capital, its largest European market.A fuller rollout of self-driving taxis, or robotaxis, will come after the Automated Vehicles Act fully takes effect in late 2027
Advanced AI suffers ‘complete accuracy collapse’ in face of complex problems, study finds
Apple researchers have found “fundamental limitations” in cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, in a paper raising doubts about the technology industry’s race to develop ever more powerful systems.Apple said in a paper published at the weekend that large reasoning models (LRMs) – an advanced form of AI – faced a “complete accuracy collapse” when presented with highly complex problems.It found that standard AI models outperformed LRMs in low-complexity tasks, while both types of model suffered “complete collapse” with high-complexity tasks. Large reasoning models attempt to solve complex queries by generating detailed thinking processes that break down the problem into smaller steps.The study, which tested the models’ ability to solve puzzles, added that as LRMs neared performance collapse they began “reducing their reasoning effort”
Teenage girls’ TikTok skincare regimes offer little to no benefit, research shows
Skincare regimes demonstrated by young influencers on TikTok offer little to no benefit, researchers have found, saying that on the contrary they raise the risk of skin irritations and lifelong allergies in children.The team behind the study say there has been a rise in young girls sharing videos of complex skincare routines with moisturisers, toners, acne treatments and anti-ageing products.In the first study of its kind, researchers analysed such videos on the platform and found the regimes are not only laborious – some girls wake up as early as 4.30am to fit in their routines – but pricey, unnecessary and potentially harmful.“The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweighs whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,” said Dr Molly Hales, the first author of the research from Northwestern University
They hoped their children’s deaths would bring change. Then a Colorado bill to protect kids online failed
Parents who lost children to online harms helped draft the bill – then watched it collapse under political pressureBereaved parents saw their hopes for change dashed after a bill meant to protect children from sexual predators and drug dealers online died in the Colorado state legislature last month.Several of those parents had helped shape the bill, including Lori Schott, whose 18-year-old daughter Annalee died by suicide in 2020 after consuming content on TikTok and Instagram about depression, anxiety and suicide.“When the legislators failed to vote and pushed it off onto some fake calendar date where they’re not even in session, to not even have accountability for where they stand – as a parent, it’s a slap in the face,” said Schott, who identifies as a pro-second amendment Republican. “It’s a slap in the face of my daughter, and to other kids that we’ve lost.”Had the legislation passed, it would have required social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to investigate and take down accounts engaged in gun or drug sales or in the sexual exploitation or trafficking of minors
Disney and Universal sue AI image creator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement
Disney and Universal sued an artificial intelligence company on Wednesday, alleging copyright infringement. In their lawsuit, the entertainment giants called Midjourney’s popular AI-powered image generator a “bottomless pit of plagiarism” for its alleged reproductions of the studios’ best-known characters.The suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios, making and distributing without permission “innumerable” copies of their marquee characters such as Darth Vader from Star Wars, Elsa from Frozen, and the Minions from Despicable Me. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The suit by Disney and Universal over images and video represents a new frontier in the raging legal wars over the copyright and the creation of generative artificial intelligence
UK students and staff: tell us your experiences with AI at university
The use of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools are becoming increasingly commonplace in UK higher education. A February survey of 1,000 students showed an “explosive increase” in use of generative AI in particular over the previous 12 months.With this in mind, we’d like to find out more about how AI is affecting students at university.How has AI impacted your studies? Have you used AI tools? Have you been suspected of using AI when you haven’t? What guidance have you been given by universities or tutors about using AI? Do you have any concerns?We’d also like to hear from university teaching staff – what is the impact of AI on students’ work? What are the challenges?You can tell us about your experiences with AI at university using this form.Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish
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