FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / Retail / 2 October 2026
Retail: sector news on Friday 2 October 2026
Average tone +0.8 (neutral) across 7 companies with relevant coverage, from 110 stories.
Company by company
| Company | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | +3.7 | 38 | Coverage was mostly positive, led by the 8p-a-litre fuel offer, new Finest meat range launches, the free fruit and veg milestone and a Morgan Stanley 550p share price view. |
| Marks & Spencer | +4.0 | 30 | Coverage was mostly favourable, led by praise for the Sephora deal, plans for a new Workington food hall and plenty of positive fashion coverage. |
| Sainsbury's | +2.8 | 19 | Coverage was mostly positive, led by the opening of a new Bromsgrove store, Christmas range previews and a clothing recycling tie-up. |
| JD Sports | −0.8 | 13 | A profit warning dragged the FTSE 100 to a week low and weighed heavily on the day. |
| Burberry Group | −3.2 | 4 | Coverage was mostly about analyst caution, with RBC cutting its price target and another fair value estimate edging lower. |
| Kingfisher | +1.7 | 4 | Coverage was mostly about Screwfix's Top Tradesperson award, which gave the brand some positive publicity. |
| Next | −2.8 | 2 | Coverage was limited to short share price reports noting that Next shares slipped and lagged the market. |
Strongest stories in the sector
- −10.0 JD Sports Profit Warning Drags FTSE 100 to Week Low as Oil Surges - Financial-News.co.uk
Profit warning dragged FTSE 100 to week low - +9.2 Morgan Stanley reckons Tesco shares can hit 550p! Is this really possible?
Morgan Stanley sees shares reaching 550p - +8.3 ‘M&S’s deal with Sephora looks like a boss move in a valuable market’
Sephora deal described as a boss move - −7.5 RBC cuts Burberry stock target to GBp 1,200.00 from GBp 1,400.00
RBC cuts price target from 1,400p to 1,200p. - +7.5 JD Sports Fashion's (JD) "Buy" Rating Reiterated at Berenberg Bank
Berenberg reiterated Buy rating - +7.5 Plans revealed for new multi-million-pound Workington M&S food hall
Multi-million-pound new food hall plans show investment - +7.5 Pupils behave better thanks to free fruit and veg from Tesco
Free fruit scheme brings positive school outcomes - −7.5 Tesco apologises as horrified mum claims she found 'worms' in roast chicken - in-Cumbria
Food safety complaint about chicken; apology issued - +7.5 Tesco Free Fruit and Veg for Schools nears 20 million portions eaten
Free fruit and veg milestone, good publicity - +7.5 Tesco free fruit and veg giveaway sees almost 20 million portions eaten in two years
Free fruit and veg milestone, good publicity - +7.0 Free food Tesco giveaway update as 20 million portions eaten
Free food scheme milestone - +6.7 JD and Nike Are Dedicating This Year’s 1.10 Day to Liverpool
JD and Nike partner on high-profile Liverpool 1.10 Day launch