Breakfast briefing: Retail news on Musgrave, Monsoon Accessorize and more

Musgrave still locked in trade dispute with Unilever

Unilever is still not supplying ice-cream products such as HB and Ben & Jerry's to Musgrave.

However, supplies of other products have resumed, The Belfast Telegraph reported.

Locked in a trade dispute over price rises, Unilever had stopped supplying goods to Musgrave two weeks ago.

Unilever supplied 800 products to Musgrave and was trying to increase prices by up to 19% on some of them.

Unilever was previously offering a currency exchange mechanism to Musgrave that would offset the price rise of products.

Monsoon Accessorize appoints new finance director

Monsoon Accessorize has appointed Elaine Deste as the new finance director, Drapers reported.

Deste replaces Adrian Walsh, who joined Monsoon Accessorize as interim finance and property director in August 2015.

Deste previously worked for eight years with O2 Telefónica, with the recent role as finance director for the B2B division.

Prior to that, she was director of planning and performance, and director of logistics finance at Safeway. 

Food prices to surge owing to Brexit, warns Tesco boss

Tesco chairman John Allan said food prices are expected to rise 3% across Britain owing to a plunge in the value of the pound, The Daily Mail reported.

On being questioned if Brexit would increase food prices, Allan commented: “I think it's probable, it obviously depends on currency, where the pound settles. If it stays where it is, it is likely.

“We are trying to defend our customers from unjustified price increases but that it is likely there will be some price increases going forward, I think is very likely.”

UK convenience sector forecast to grow 2.2%

Convenience store space is expected to grow 2.2%, according to data from Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) and Co-op Group, Co-operative News reported.

Supermarket space is expected to shrink 2% in Next three years.

There has been an increase in sales of fresh produce, with a 10% rise in chilled potato items in the year to May.

Co-op Food commercial director Michael Fletcher said: “This trend of digital enabling people to shop more conveniently, discounters meeting the needs of economically distressed customers and customers leading increasingly unstructured lives means the convenience sector is the only sector growing.”