
Adam Leyland
Adam has led The Grocer since 2006. In that time he and his team have picked up a string of awards, as the publication, now celebrating its 160th anniversary, has been transformed into a multi-channel operation, comprising a weekly magazine, a vibrant website, multiple daily and weekly newsletters and a strong social media presence, as well as awards, conferences and webinars.
A well-known figure in the food and drink industry, Adam makes frequent appearances on TV and radio and regularly hosts conferences, webinars and awards. And his knowledge is as broad as the sector itself: from health & obesity, to online and rapid delivery; from sustainability to entrepreneurship; from farm shops and challenger brands, to the giant supermarkets and multinational suppliers.
Above all, Adam is a lifelong 'foodie' and 'winophile'. His love of food and drink – and of seeing and sampling exciting new products, merchandised and prepared in clever and compelling ways – continues to this day. But he is also passionate about the social aspect of food, and has successfully lobbied the government for funding to subsidise food waste redistribution through The Grocer’s award-winning Waste Not Want Not campaign. He has also championed the merits of a balanced diet and common sense in the ongoing debate about obesity.
Adam was voted Editor of the Year at the British Society of Magazine Editors Awards in 2015 and 2009 and his support for great journalism has seen The Grocer pick up a further seven awards under his tenure: BSME writer of the year (three times); BSME web editor of the year; BSME specialist team of the year; and PPA features writer of the year (twice).
In a 35+-year career as a journalist and editor Adam has also interviewed a wide variety of politicians, celebrities and senior business leaders, including Buzz Aldrin, Richie Benaud, Stelios, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Terry Leahy, Sir James Dyson, Lord Sainsbury, Sir Philip Green, David Cameron and the press secretary to US President Bill Clinton.
Other publications he has edited include Real Business, PRWeek (launching the US edition in seven weeks), Press Gazette and PrintWeek. He has also written for the FT, The Times, Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail, The Observer, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard and several business publications including Management Today, Campaign and Marketing.
Adam is married with a son and lives in London.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 01293 610263
- Email:
- adam.leyland@thegrocer.co.uk
- Comment & Opinion
Darren Blackhurst comeback is latest plot twist in Asda soap opera
If Darren Blackhurst can recreate the spark he brought to Asda all those years ago, it will match anything in Emmerdale
- Comment & Opinion
The Grocer’s first-ever Health Issue: it’s been an education
Snack to the Future: health warnings, babyfood bombshells and cottage cheese. It’s all in our Health Issue
- Interviews
Little Dish’s Hillary Graves: on the right side of the childhood obesity debate
With a ‘clean deck’, low plastic and high growth, Little Dish is reshaping kids’ food for the better
- Comment & Opinion
TikTok needs to start acting like the food retailer it now is
TikTok claims it has ‘policies and processes’ and ‘strict measures’ to ensure the safety of food sold on TikTok Shop. But it’s evidently not enough
- Comment & Opinion
Inflation’s return is good news for discounters and own label
The start of the new financial year has brought an immediate uptick in inflation, with prices rising 4.1% last month
- Comment & Opinion
Border checks relaxation is welcome: now the hard work begins
A skilful game of diplomacy will be required to find allies among EU member states, while Defra must resource its work properly
- Comment & Opinion
Tesco 30% share aim puts different complexion on profit warning
The last time Tesco enjoyed 30% share in UK grocery sales was October 2013. Then the wheels came off
- Comment & Opinion
Three reasons ABF is now talking to Hovis about Kingsmill
There is no guarantee a Best of Both merger will be a success for Kingsmill and Hovis
- Grocer 33
Asda’s inflation-busting prices see off rivals again in price comparison
Asda was exclusively cheapest for nine items, including the blueberries
- Comment & Opinion
This is not just a cyberattack… this is an M&S cyberattack
Whereas other businesses under attack have been able to operate and negotiate out of plain sight, M&S is trying to manage “proactively”
- News
Media Bites 30 April: Amazon, Coca-Cola, M&S cyber hack, Starbucks
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos reportedly received an angry call from US President Donald Trump accusing the online retail giant of a ‘hostile political act’
- Comment & Opinion
How AI is solving the self-checkout shoplifting epidemic
As supermarkets use AI to battle the self-checkout shoplifting epidemic the human touch will be vital
- Analysis & Features
What’s Asda Price? Reality of Asda rollback return is unclear
The return of Asda’s Rollbacks wiped over £4bn off the value of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S. But is it rowing back on its Rollback programme?
- News
Dove sales up 8% as Unilever posts ‘resilient’ Q1 performance
Plans to turn Unilever into a ‘consistently higher-performing business’ were on track, said new CEO Fernando Fernandez
- Comment & Opinion
What’s not to like about supermarket veg price wars this Easter?
Supermarkets are selling nutritious veg for just 8p a pack. How is that not a good thing?
- Comment & Opinion
Asda’s puny price war causes bizarre run on Tesco share price
Tesco’s magnificent results and diverse armoury of weapons overlooked by over-reacting investors
- News
Media Bites 7 April: tariffs, Tesco, Asda, ABF, Kellogg’s
The trade war kicked off by US president Donald Trump resulted in near-total domination of the media’s business reporting this weekend. Markets opened in the Far East and the ’bloodbath’ in the financial markets is getting worse
- Comment & Opinion
Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are merely an amuse-bouche
The consensus in the trade (and the City) is that UK food and drink suppliers have got off lightly when it comes to exports
- Comment & Opinion
Defra’s Food Strategy will fail if it doesn’t support growth
Addressing obesity, sustainability and food security all crucial in food strategy but so is growth
- Grocer 33
Asda almost delivers on Leighton’s price promise in Grocer 33
Only Morrisons came close to matching Asda’s prices in latest price comparison