The ownership of one of Britain’s best known supermarkets has been thrust back into the spotlight in recent days after the news that Asda will become majority owned by a private equity giant later this year.
Supermarkets form an integral part of the UK economy, employing hundreds of thousands of people and contributing millions in tax to the public purse.
But who actually owns your favourite supermarket and who sits at the top pulling the strings?
Who owns Tesco?
Founded by East End market stall holder Jack Cohen, Tesco has been a publicly listed company since 1947 and is a member of the FTSE-100.
Its biggest shareholders are London-based Silchester International Investors and Schroder Investment Management and US-head quartered The Vanguard Group.
The supermarket giant is worth around £21bn, reporting a pre-tax profit of just under £2.3bn in the year ending February 24, 2024.
Ken Murphy became Tesco’s chief executive in 2020 and was paid nearly £10m in the 2023/24 financial year – up from £4.44m in the prior period – while chief financial officer Imran Nawaz received £4.95m.
At last count the company was operating 4,506 stores globally, 3,786 of which were in the UK.
Tesco has been headquartered in Welwyn Garden City since 2016 following the closure of its Cheshunt base the same year.
How much is Sainsbury’s worth?
Sainsbury’s was founded in 1969 and owned by the Sainsbury family until 1972, when it listed on the London Stock Exchange and joined the FTSE-100 12 years later.
Its biggest shareholders are Qatar Investment Authority, Vesa Equity Investment and Bestway Group.
The company is worth about 6.3bn, reporting a pre-tax profit of just under £277m in the year ending March 2, 2024.
Simon Roberts has been CEO of Sainsbury’s since June 2020 and was paid £4.9m in the last financial year – down around six per cent on the previous year.
The company’s chief financial officer, Bláthnaid Bergin, was paid about £2.4m in the same period.
At last count, the business was operating more than 2,300 Sainsbury’s supermarkets, convenience stores and Argos stores – which it bought in 2016 – across the UK.
Sainsbury’s has been headquartered in Holborn, London, since 2001.
A new era for Asda as new owner prepares to take over
Asda is set to have new a new owner after TDR Capital agreed to become the majority shareholder in June 2024 after one half of the billionaire Issa brothers decided to sell his shares to the company.
When it completes, the deal will mean that Asda is 67.5 per cent owned by TDR Capital while Mohsin Issa will hold 22.5 per cent with a further 10 per cent held by former owner Walmart.
TDR Capital first got involved in Asda when it partnered with the Issa brothers in 2021 to buy the chain for £6.8bn.
Asda is currently led by Mohsin Issa, but the company is looking for a new CEO to take over later in the year.
At last count, there were just over 1,000 Asda stores operating in the UK.
The company has been headquartered in Leeds since it was founded in the early 1960s.
How much does Morrisons make?
Starting life as a Bradford-based egg and butter vendor in 1899, Morrisons is now owned by US private equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, which acquired the chain in 2021.
In its most recent full-year results for the 52 weeks ending October 29, 2023, the supermarket reported revenue of 14.8m – up just over three per cent on the previous period.
Rami Baitiéh is CEO of Morrisons and has been in post since November 2023, joining one year after the company’s chief financial officer Joanna Goff.
At last count, Morrisons operated 497 stores across the UK. It remains headquartered in Bradford.
Who owns Aldi?
Aldi was founded in 1948 by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, Aldi UK is owned by a German company called Albrecht Discounts.
In its most recently published results for the year ending December 2022, the supermarket made pre-tax profit of £153m, while annual sales increased by almost £2bn to £15.5bn.
Giles Hurley has been Aldi’s CEO since 2018, having joined the company in 2000.
Its UK headquarters are located in Atherstone, Warwickshire.
Who is the CEO of Co-op Food?
Co-op Food is owned by the Co-operative Group, and although frequently thought of as a single brand, is actually a network of supermarkets and convenience shops owned and operated by over 15 independent co-operative societies.
In the financial year ending December 30, 2023, the chain made a pre-tax loss of £2m – a significant improvement on the £30m loss it made over the previous period.
Shirine Khoury-Haq is the CEO of Co-operative Group and has been in post since August 2022.
At last count the Co-op operated 2,500 local, convenience and medium-sized stores in the UK.
The group has its headquarters in Manchester.
Who is the owner of Lidl?
Lidl GB is owned by Lidl Stiftung and Co. which is part of the Schwarz Group, Europe’s largest food retailer.
The UK arm of the supermarket reported pre-tax losses of £76m for the year to 28 February, 2023, compared to profits of £41.1m the previous year.
Its UK revenue for the same period was £9.3bn, up 18.8 per cent year on year.
Ryan McDonnell has been the CEO of Lidl GB since January 2022.
The group has around 960 UK supermarkets, and more than 12,000 across the rest of Europe.
Lidl GB’s headquarters have been in Tolworth, Greater London, since 2022.
Who is in charge of Waitrose?
Founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, Waitrose as we know it was acquired by John Lewis Partnership in 1937 and is still owned by the group.
The upmarket supermarket reported a profit before tax of £56m in the year ending January 27, 2024 – a £290m improvement year-on-year.
Nish Kankiwala has been the group CEO since March 2023 – the company’s first.
Waitrose & Partners has 329 shops across the UK, including 65 “little Waitrose” convenience shops.
The company also exports products to 52 countries and has locations in the Middle East.
Its headquarters are located in Bracknell, Berkshire.
Is Iceland making a loss?
Iceland Foods is owned by its founder Sir Malcolm Walker and CEO Tarsem Dhaliwal, following a management buyout in 2020.
The frozen food supermarket chain made a pre-tax loss of £16.2m in the year ending March 24, 2023, widened from £4.1m in the previous period.
Iceland has more than 900 stores in the UK, with its headquarters based in Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales.
Is Farmfoods a family business?
Farmfoods is a family business majority-owned by Eric Herd, Farmfoods’ CEO, who inherited his father’s Aberdeen meat processing business.
The company made a £22.2m in pre-tax profit in the year ending January 1, 2023, an increase from the previous year’s £20.5m.
There are more than 300 Farmfoods stores in the UK, and the company is headquartered in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.