Asda and Sainsbury’s merging!

[Undercoverbanana]

Cos we can all afford Sainsbury’s prices can’t we? Eeeeek.

Can’t stand Asda. Sainsbury’s is ok but it’s aldi for me all the way. Thank god we are getting one opposite out tiny Asda soon.

Sainsburys is getting ready to capitalise on Brexit. Aldi and Lidl prices are only this low because of the customs union; the second we leave they will sky rocket.

*@BishopBrennansArse *

To be fair I only buy loo roll at ASDA as it's nice and thick like Andrex yet v cheap

Lol at your username and comment! 😂

But what will happen to the tu clothes for children. I really like them.

Our local Sainsburys is good but is deserted a lot of the time. (UC went full service in this area six months ago) and some of their goods have started to disappear They no longer stock the Douwe Egberts flavoured coffee that i love.

Really nice staff too.

No Asda here but 2 Tesco in the same town and a Tesco Express store.

I bet the £9.20 per hour for all staff including 16 year olds at Sainsburys won't happen now

Douwe egberts have stopped making that coffee. Kenco’s new flavoured ones are similar.
None of the supermarkets in our town are dirty or run down and we have at least one of each (except Waitrose)

Why are they doing it? I don’t really understand. They both seem to be making enough money to pay their bills and pay their staff. Is it just willy-waving at Tesco? I’d be really worried if I worked for either of them or if I was a supplier. I bet they don’t consider that.

I presume that this will result in Walmart taking over the entire operations of Sainsbury's at some point, or providing the Sainsbury shareholders a stake in Walmart.

The brands are widely different however. The only other merger in the UK of similar concept, Lloyds TSB Halifax Bank of Scotland, isn't working out for any of the companies involved branding.

I could actually support a rebrand of both stores into the Walmart concept if the merger goes through, I don't think either brand is going to live through the internet era.

I actively avoid Asda because of their Walmart ownership and because they are just an unpleasant shopping experience. I'll be very sad to see Sainsbury's run in a similar way. I guess that means I'll be buying the things I can't buy in Aldi/Lidl/Farmfoods elsewhere.

OP I have experience of one of the UK's largest retailers, you'd be surprised just how obsessed the senior management are with the size of the company, especially relative to the competition. For a while they tried peddling the myth that they were legally obliged to 'maximise shareholders value', once that was pointed out as a lie they still carry on, it's all very childish and completely irrelevant to people who actually work in stores, serving customers.

We don't have either locally, just Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl, so not much will change.

Sainsbury’s is buying out Asda.

I get the impression that both stores bought into either out of town (Sainsbury) or took over other stores in a non profitable area (Asda). I know a couple of the stores and they could well be converted to Argos - Sainsbury lost out to small Argos stores in Homebase after the Australian takeover of Homebase.

Surely they'll have to close some stores? Co-op had to when it bought Somerfield and they were hardly on the scale of Sainsbury's and ASDA.

I would assume they will keep both brands, at least for the forseeable future - they have a different target audience for a start. They'll make as many savings as they can by putting pressure on suppliers to reduce prices and combining back office operations etc.

Round here ASDA are a great store

Back in the 90s, the stores were pitched to the local market. DFs store was in a naice town, but located in the poorer end of town. DF regularly snagged bargain venison, steak and game birds because the local-to-the-store locals weren’t interested or able to afford it, even marked down. I sense they are more homogenous now.

We currently avoid Asda for Walmart reasons (and the shoe leather beef/tough meat). Sainsbos get our regular shop. This merger poses a dilemma, because I like Sainsbos but I’m not propping up Walmart. Way to piss off both customer bases.

I can see an 'upmarket' Sainsbury's and a 'downmarket' Aldi and Lidl style chain.

However, they'd be shooting themselves in the foot if both chains sold the same products and ranges.

I’m the same as Dragons and a few others. Walmart can go whistle. As I get my shopping delivered, and for some reason I can’t get the Tesco website to load, I’ll be trying Waitrose over the next few weeks.

I’ve just got my head around what will be my new shopping system, local butcher, local greencrocers and the rest online with Waitrose, and now the butchers is closing down next nearest one is about 7 miles away.

Well ideally it may make ASDA more quality produce and less tacky and hopefully Sainsbury less pricey. That would be a win win.

We shall see.

Building on someone's (forgot who said it, sorry) previous point:

The ASDA CEO appointed in January came over from Sainsbury's too. They seem to swap top management fairly regularly between the two and have been for the last few years.

Both stores brought in new contracts recently that pay more but otherwise are less favourable for the majority of colleagues. Sainsbury's made theirs compulsory, ASDA made them 'voluntary' although there was a lot of pressure on people to sign and it's generally accepted that it will become compulsory (I now presume this will happen around the merger date).

I worked for ASDA for 10 years and left last month. When I started there was so much focus on training staff to give great service and that has continuously been eroded. In theory they still spout the training angle but, in practise, they've struggled with the sudden steep increase in NMW and are hiring much less frequently and cutting available hours and so there's never enough colleagues to provide the service that customers should get.

I think that was a massive mistake as, since their USP used to be the fact they were cheaper and Aldi and Lidl have overtaken that, service was all they could have built on. Sainsbury's seem to have done similar but I'm only basing that on shopping in my local store in fairness.

I personally think they'll only keep the separate brands for a short time and then I think ASDA will go. They've been struggling for ages. I also think at the very least they'll close all the ASDA Living stores as the majority of them aren't profitable, don't hit their targets and a lot of the products they sell are things people are happy to buy online.

I know someone who works at checkout at Sains who said they are already been trained in a new system ; feel sorry for her as she is near retirement and so it's an upheaval to have to learn something new after years. Shopfloor staff will lose out as usual...

I avoid Asda as they come out lowest of all the supermarkets for ethics, and their food is awful. When I worked there when I was a student as well as paying lower than all the other supermarkets they treated their staff like rubbish. I collapsed at work as I wasn't allowed to drink or sit down despite very high temperatures (I as on checkouts so would have been easy to let me sit down at least) The place still makes me a bit uncomfortable. I think the store has actually improved a bit since then, but is still soulless, and the food is still awful. I shop at Sainsbury's, or Waitrose whenever they send me discount vouchers. I don't think they are particularly expensive if you shop carefully. If you have a set list you buy each week then I can see they are more expensive but if you just buy what is on offer and basics then I think the difference between Asda and Sainsburys is minimal. I like Waitrose for the higher welfare standards on their meat (even if its not that high, just having a minimum higher than statutory requirements is good) and the Co op is nice too. I went to Tesco last week and their food labelling is awful and they don't seem to like vegetarians. Wont be back.

So yes, ASDA-Sainsburys merger would be a complete pain as I wont be buying at Sainsburys if is goes ahead. That leaves local supermarkets as Waitrose 1 or Waitrose 2! I get loads of cheap food at the Co op and we get fruit and veg from local greengrocer and milk delivered so wont starve.

I agree sothisispring although DH thinks Waitrose are 50% more expensive. He’s never been in a Waitrose store mind, just assumed it’s a total rip off.

I’ve actually spent less in the last couple of weeks than I would have in Sainsbo’s.