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Tesco Extra, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer on Winchester High Street have shut multiple chilled food aisles for a fifth straight day after temperatures topped 30°C. The refrigeration failures follow a week-long heatwave that peaked on Bank Holiday Monday, with repairs delayed by ongoing extreme heat. Customers report empty shelves and long queues as stores struggle to cope.
Average UK household now spends £103 more per week on groceries than in 2020, with staples like eggs, milk, and bread seeing the steepest price surges. The cost of six eggs has jumped 50% to £1.50, while a loaf of bread now averages £1.75, up from £1.10 in March 2020.
UK supermarket chain Morrisons will close 100 stores in the next few months as rising operational costs force drastic action. The closures mark the largest single wave of shutdowns in the company’s 125-year history.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has condemned the government’s proposal to cap food prices, calling it unsustainable and a distortion of the economy. The backlash from retailers forced Chancellor Rachel Reeves to abandon the plan just days after it was floated.
The Treasury is pushing supermarkets to cap prices on staples like eggs, milk and bread in exchange for relaxed regulations as food inflation hits 3.7%. Retailers are pushing back, warning of a 1970s-style intervention as Labour unveils fresh cost-of-living measures.
The UK government has privately pushed major supermarket chains to voluntarily limit food price increases, offering concessions on competition rules in return. A leaked document reveals the scale of the proposal, which could reshape grocery pricing nationwide.