Customer Service Advisor

Coalition of food producers trial lorry delivery to food redistribution charities. By Isaac Hanson A coalition of food producers and supermarkets has announced it will launch a campaign to tackle hunger in the UK. Alliance Food Sourcing (AFS) involves over 50 food businesses including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. Its latest initiative is led by Sainsbury's, which has partnered with logistics provider GXO and supply chain consultancy Baringa to transport surplus food from warehouses directly to food redistribution charities. The scheme is supported with technical advice from the Tesco Distribution team. Studies suggest that 30 per cent of all UK HGV miles have spare capacity, Sainsbury's said, that can be used to transport excess food without increasing costs. The supermarket estimates the project could save charities "millions" of pounds in the future. The five supermarkets have also launched an April meal donation campaign called "Let's make a meal of it". The campaign encourages customers to donate to The Felix Project and FareShare, both food poverty charities. The funds raised will go towards sourcing and redistributing meals from surplus food, identified by Alliance Food Sourcing. Sainsbury's said beneficiaries will include children at youth clubs and "people experiencing loneliness who can meet others over a shared meal". "It's great to see so many leading food businesses coming together within AFS, but we urge others to join us," said Nicky Robinson, director of Alliance Food Sourcing. "The opportunity to do good is vast. "By partnering up, thousands of tonnes of good, surplus food are already being rescued from the food supply chain, reducing waste and providing meals for the most vulnerable in our society - often by making relatively simple changes."

Sainsbury's hit out at traffic concerns over new scottish store. Sainsbury's has hit out at concerns its new Inverurie supermarket would cause traffic chaos (Image: Newsquest) Find, save and share Public Notices that affect you. Sainsbury's has hit out at concerns its new Inverurie supermarket would cause traffic chaos and has pleaded with council bosses to back their extension plan. The national retailer got the green light to convert the former Homebase store at Inverurie Retail Park back in November 2024. But in December, bosses unveiled plans to knock down the outdoor garden centre space and extend the current building. Floor plans show that the proposed extension could be used as the new home of Argos, which operates as part of the Sainsbury's group. However, Aberdeenshire Council's roads team said they were objecting to the proposal earlier this year until a traffic survey was carried out. READ MORE: Council chiefs wanted to check how busy the retail park is at the moment before the supermarket moves in. The Oldmeldrum Road facility has a total of 366 bays for vehicles. It was argued that the survey would assess whether there is enough parking spaces for the store as well as the surrounding businesses. Meanwhile, they asked for the survey to take access to the retail park into account. Roads bosses wanted to check if the junction, which is controlled by traffic lights, would be able to cope with an influx of visitors. In response, Sainsbury's said that the extension would create demand for just eight spaces. They carried out the traffic survey as requested and suggested that there would be more than enough spaces in the retail park at peak times. The results showed that on a busy Friday lunchtime and Saturday afternoon just 140 spaces were in use, leaving 226 free. This sum was lower on a Thursday lunchtime which had just 118 spaces taken, around 32% of the total site. Sainsbury's argued these results and their expected customer numbers would leave "significant spare capacity" of 99 spaces. The survey also showed that most customers only visit the retail park for up to an hour, meaning that spaces would not be in use for long periods. Meanwhile, the junction assessment showed that it would "continue to operate within capacity with the proposed development". Supermarket chiefs claimed the new store would not have an impact on the junction.

Sainsbury's strengthens backing for farmers with £5bn multi-year investment through expansion of long-term agreements with 2,500 British and Irish farms. Our purpose in action * Expansion of long-term partnership model with farmers in the UK and ROI creates one of the most extensive networks of multi-year farming agreements in the UK * Long-term partnerships to represent £5bn[1] of committed investment by Sainsbury's into UK and Ireland agriculture, across fresh produce, dairy, meat and poultry * These partnerships will see 3.1m tonnes[2] of Sainsbury's own brand fresh products will come from long-term agreements * By the end of 2026, 60%[3] of products in fresh produce, dairy, meat, fish and poultry will be in long-term agreements of over 5 years * As farmers are facing increasing global volatility and climate challenges, long-term partnerships provide the certainty and reassurance to invest in the future Strengthening the future of good food in the UK. Sainsbury's today announces the expansion of its long-term partnership model to 62 British berry farms, agreeing five new five-year contracts with Angus Soft Fruit, Chambers, Soft Fruits Direct, J.O. Sims and Dyson Farming. This marks a significant extension of the retailer's long-term agreements, following similar commitments already in place across categories including pork, poultry and dairy. By 2027, more than 2,500 farms - all 100% British - will be backed by long-term contracts representing over £5 billion of committed investment and securing 3.1 million tonnes of homegrown fresh food. The expanded model will secure products across key areas including milk, carrots, mushrooms and chicken, helping ensure stability and resilience across the supply chain at a time when operating costs, climate pressures and global instability continue to impact farmers. Soft fruit has typically relied on short term, seasonal agreements. These new long-term partnerships will give growers the security they need to invest in their future, including in sustainability and innovation. In turn, this will help secure the future of British berries and ensure customers can continue to enjoy great tasting, responsibly sourced fruit. The need for support is clear. Defra research shows that only 33% of farmers feel positive about their future, continuing a downward trend[4]. Sainsbury's long-term approach aims to reverse this by providing stability, shared planning and the backing farmers need to thrive. Two decades of long-term investment. Sainsbury's started building long-term agreements nearly twenty years ago because volatility was making it harder for farmers to invest, recognising the only way to secure more British food and deliver value for customers is to give farmers certainty. The approach began in 2007 with dairy farmers at a time when rising labour and energy costs were putting pressure on the industry. Sainsbury's pays its dairy farmers a fair cost-of-production price that moves with real-world costs - fuel, feed, fertiliser, giving farmers the stability to plan and invest even as costs fluctuate. This commitment has since expanded across eggs, chicken and other key categories, supporting sustained investment in innovation, from advances in mushroom production to the development of the Taste the Difference Aberdeen Angus lower carbon beef range. Today's announcement builds on this heritage, scaling a model that has already proven its ability to strengthen supply chains, improve animal welfare and support more sustainable farming practices, building on an existing network of over 15,000 British farmers. "Good food is something people depend on every day. In uncertain times our focus is on keeping food great value for customers while giving farmers the reassurance and certainty they need to plan ahead. "We're proud to lead the way on long term farming partnerships and cost of production models - with some of the longest in UK retail, backed by billions of pounds of committed investment. When farmers know what we'll buy, at what price and for how long, they can plan, invest and keep producing the great tasting, responsibly sourced British food our customers trust. "By expanding these long-term agreements across more of our meat, dairy, fruit and veg, we're backing British and Irish farming for the future and bringing more homegrown food to our customers. This is how we protect quality, value and provenance in an uncertain world and how we help secure the future of good food for all of us." Simon Roberts Chief Executive of Sainsbury's Several existing partnerships are already helping to deliver impact for suppliers and customers, including the agreement Sainsbury's signed with Monaghan Mushrooms, Republic of Ireland, in 2025. The partnership has already enabled Sainsbury's to be the first supermarket in the UK to deliver conventional mushrooms grown without peat - an example of how longer-term agreements can unlock innovation and deliver better outcomes for customers. Dairy farmer Charlie Burgoyne from Holmbush Farm, West Sussex, who has supplied Sainsbury's milk for over 15 years said: "These are incredibly challenging times for farmers, with the impacts of climate change, rising input costs and global instability creating real uncertainty across the sector. To keep our business resilient, we need the confidence to invest in our future. That's why long-term partnerships, like the one we have had with Sainsbury's for many years, are so important and vital to securing the future of the food system and British farming. Multi-year agreements, underpinned by a fair cost-of-production model, give us the stability and confidence we need to plan ahead, invest for the future and sustain our farm for generations to come" Angela Eagle, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, said: "Long-term investment in the British farming sector is vital to help secure more homegrown, high-quality food for families, strengthen supply chains, and support the innovation and sustainability. All this is essential for the future of farming. "It is great to see Sainsbury's match our commitment to work with the sector to give farmers the certainty and confidence they need to invest, grow and plan for the future." Notes to Editors [[1] Based on latest annual estimate of on-farm cost of goods over the remaining lifespan on the LTAs] [[2] Estimate based on latest annual tonnes over remaining lifespan of LTA [3] Based on COGS from suppliers (Dairy/MFP/Produce) with minimum 5 year LTA in place or planned, divided by total COGS of these categories.] [[4] Defra Farmer Opinion Tracker for England: April 2025] About Sainsbury's Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear - we make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day. Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands - Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat, Sainsbury's Bank and Smart Charge. Sainsbury's has almost 600 supermarkets and over 800 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer and is the third most visited retail website in the UK, with over 70 per cent of its sales starting online. Argos is conveniently available for customers to collect from hundreds of Sainsbury's stores. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.