Stephen Jones
Stephen is The Grocer’s senior retail reporter. He leads our coverage of Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Iceland as well as retailers including Booths, Holland & Barrett, Whole Foods Market and Hotel Chocolat.
Prior to joining The Grocer in December 2022, he was transportation reporter at Business Insider, where he covered the global operations of major automakers, airlines and global shipping. He first joined Insider in July 2021 as a careers reporter.
Before that he spent three years covering business, retail, and leadership for Management Today and spent a short period as a match day reporter for the Non-League paper.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 01293 610272
- Email:
- stephen.jones@thegrocer.co.uk
NewsHarrods launches new ‘experience’ focused e-commerce platform
Suppliers will now be able to create fully customed pages within Harrod’s main web infrastructure
NewsSainsbury’s to donate ‘every penny’ from mince pie sales to Comic Relief
Throughout December, the proceeds from sales of By Sainsbury’s Mince Pies and the free-from equivalent will be used to fund meal donations for people living in poverty
NewsOttolenghi extends Waitrose range after launch ‘exceeds’ expectations
The three new sauces are the first additions to the range since it launched in April
NewsSainsbury’s acquires another Homebase store as it kicks on with expansion plan
Sainsbury’s is looking to add more than 300,000 sq ft to its store footprint over the next three years, under CEO Simon Roberts’ Next Level strategy
Grocer 33Grocer 33 store of the week: Waitrose King’s Cross
‘Sometimes it can feel like we’re a big convenience shop – we have a heavy lunchtime trade and a lot of custom from the university opposite us, as well as commuter trade’
NewsSainsbury’s ramps up availability focus with new store trials
Many of the trials focus on making the replenishment process more efficient in stores
NewsHolland & Barrett to open 50 new UK stores in 2025
It includes an expansion of partnerships with Tesco and Next, Holland & Barrett property and format director Nick Gerrard told The Grocer
NewsIceland Foods in talks with government over rollout of prisoner rehabilitation scheme
The supermarket’s head of rehabilitation Paul Cowley met with ministers in October to discuss its Second Chance rehabilitation scheme
News‘Iceland vs Iceland’ trademark dispute rages on as Iceland Foods begins latest appeal
It’s the third round of legal proceedings in what is now an eight-year legal battle with the Icelandic government over the use of the word ‘Iceland’ in the EU
NewsSainsbury’s trialling ‘hybrid’ self-checkouts and touchscreens to find products
The supermarket wants to make it easier for bigger trolley shoppers to use self-service checkouts
NewsSainsbury’s opens eighth wind farm site in renewable energy push
It is the latest to open under an agreement signed with asset management company Capital Dynamics in July 2022
NewsGood & Proper Tea appoints former Sainsbury’s Future Brands head as MD
Tom Forsythe previously spent a decade at Sainsbury’s, including leading its Future Brands incubator scheme for challenger brands
NewsIceland Foods expands Dunnes partnership after Irish store closures
The expansion is the first announced by Iceland following the supermarket’s controversial exit from the Irish market in 2023
NewsSainsbury’s kicks off major overhaul of its convenience store estate
Sainsbury’s aims to rebalance its Local store estate, as well as review the range of products stocked in different locations
NewsWaitrose expands self-serve bakery range
Waitrose executives see the category as a crucial area of growth for the high end grocer
Grocer 33Sainsbury’s Fosse Park, Leicester: Grocer 33 store of the week
‘We’re half a mile off the M1, so we attract a good mix of locals and people from afar’
NewsWaitrose expands on-demand delivery offer with Just Eat
The multi-year deal adds to Waitrose’s existing rapid delivery tieups
NewsBooths expands ‘scoop-your-own’ concessions partnership with FieldFare
Booths has been steadily increasing its frozen offer over the past couple of years
NewsWhole Foods Market UK losses narrow after value push
The Amazon-owned grocer began a value campaign in 2023 in a bid to lure UK shoppers to its stores
NewsSainsbury’s Christmas Nectar points ’count up’ returns as golden quarter kicks off
The gamification-based challenge will allow Sainsbury’s customers to collect up to 1,500 bonus Nectar loyalty points