Sainsbury’s festive woe

SAINSBURY’S boss Mike Coupe faces further pressure this week as the supermarket is expected to reveal a drop in Christmas sales.

The poor performance has been predicted ahead of the company’s planned £14bn tie-up with Asda.

Coupe, 58, masterminded the merger but it is being probed by competition officials over its impact on shoppers and suppliers.

Sainsbury’s is expected to post a 0.2pc decline in like- for- like sales on Wednesday. Also reporting their festive sales figures this week are Tesco, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Debenhams.