FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Consumer staples / 7 October 2026
Consumer staples: sector news on Wednesday 7 October 2026
Average tone +4.2 (positive) across 8 companies with relevant coverage, from 69 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associated British Foods | −5.2 | 23 | Coverage was dominated by Primark's recall of two Halloween gonks over possible asbestos contamination, with warnings to shoppers to stop using them. |
| Unilever | +5.5 | 21 | Coverage was mostly positive, centred on a Kenyan solar investment to cut energy costs, expanded Vaseline manufacturing in South Africa and haircare growth. |
| Diageo | −2.3 | 13 | Coverage centred on the closure of the Guinness Baltimore brewery, the cull of the innovation team in a global restructure and a lower Deutsche Bank price target. |
| British American Tobacco | +8.7 | 5 | Coverage focused on BAT's Horizon 2030 targets, a higher Jefferies price target and a Buy rating, alongside a bullish take on Velo. |
| Reckitt | +7.2 | 3 | Coverage was mostly about Reckitt's share price, which rose 1.6% and rebounded as the buyback reduced the float. |
| Imperial Brands | +7.5 | 2 | Coverage was mainly Morningstar raising its fair value estimate for Imperial Brands, which reflects well on the company. |
| Coca-Cola Europacific Partners | +5.3 | 1 | Coverage was limited to the company's Meals That Matter campaign returning to Co-op stores with Special Olympics Great Britain. |
| Coca-Cola HBC | +7.0 | 1 | The only relevant coverage was a Simply Wall Street piece on Coca-Cola HBC's 30% share gain, which reads positively for the stock. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- +10.0 British American Tobacco: The Market Underestimates How Big Velo Can Become (NYSE:BTI)
Bullish view that Velo's potential is underestimated. - +9.7 BAT outlines Horizon 2030 as Jefferies raises target for BAT stock
Jefferies raises target alongside Horizon 2030 outline. - +9.7 Morningstar raises fair value for Imperial Brands stock to GBp 3,400.00
Morningstar raised fair value estimate for Imperial shares. - +9.2 British American Tobacco rated Buy at $53 on Ve...
Buy rating with a $53 target. - +9.2 UBS raises target for Reckitt Benckiser stock to GBp 7,600
UBS raised its price target to 7,600p - +7.5 BAT stock highlights Horizon 2030 targets and November dividend
Highlights Horizon 2030 targets and upcoming dividend. - +7.5 Pricing Seen as Meaningful Driver of Unilever's 3Q Growth -- Market Talk
Pricing seen driving Q3 growth. - +7.5 Unilever stock: Haircare brands post high single-digit growth in H1 2026
Haircare brands posted high single-digit growth. - −7.3 Primark issues urgent recall as Halloween decorations could cause 'serious or fatal illness'
Recall coverage stressing serious or fatal illness risk - −7.2 Primark urgently recalls Halloween decorations contaminated with ASBESTOS
Tabloid recall coverage emphasising asbestos contamination - +7.0 What You Can Take From Coca Cola HBC's 30% Gain And It Was Not Revenue
Analysis of the company's 30% share gain, framed positively. - −6.8 Primark shoppers warned to 'stop using product immediately' due to possible asbestos contamination
Shoppers warned to stop using possibly contaminated product