Sainsbury's Wins the Weekly Shop, Walmart's AI Agents

Sainsbury's is winning back the weekly shop on price, while Walmart writes the rules for AI shopping agents that buy on a customer's behalf. Today's Decoding Retail also covers BRC confidence and shoplifting figures, Waitrose's first full-line supermarket in eight years, eBay's 1,000 job cuts and Target's $30 Thanksgiving meal.

Sources:

- Sainsbury's: Sainsbury's Reports First-Half Volume Growth on Price Investment and Nectar Prices https://corporate.sainsburys.co.uk/news/press-releases/interim-results-announcement-2026-27/

- British Retail Consortium: BRC: Economy Confidence Hits -40 as Spending Intent Rises to +15 Ahead of Budget https://brc.org.uk/news-and-events/news/corporate-affairs/2026/ungated/consumer-confidence-tumbles-ahead-of-budget/

- British Retail Consortium: Shoplifting Falls 2% to 519,516 but BRC Says New Police Powers Unused Six Months On https://brc.org.uk/news-and-events/news/corporate-affairs/2026/ungated/unleash-delayed-police-powers-to-fight-high-street-crime-retailers-urge/

- Waitrose: Waitrose Opens First Full-Line Supermarket in Eight Years; Five More Sites in Pipeline https://www.linkedin.com/posts/waitrose_waitrose-storeopening-cricklewood-activity-7519032939205017600-AsqQ

- Aldi UK: Aldi Launches 'Grounded in Goodness' Beef Scheme With ABP Supporting Around 1,000 UK Farms https://www.aldipresscentre.co.uk/business-news/aldi-launches-british-beef-scheme-with-abp-to-support-farmer-livelihoods/

- Walmart: Walmart Publishes Agent Terms and Profile Feature to Govern Third-Party AI Shopping https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2026/10/Making-It-Possible-for-Agents-to-Shop-on-Behalf-of-Customers

- Retail Dive: eBay Cuts 1,000 Jobs, 9% of Global Workforce, in Second Downsizing of 2026 https://www.retaildive.com/news/ebay-cuts-one-thousand-jobs-layoffs-downsizing/833668/

- Target: Target Sets $30 Thanksgiving Meal for Six With Turkey at 79 Cents a Pound https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2026/10/target-brings-more-value-and-delight-to-thanksgiving-with-a-$30-meal-for-six-and-fresh-takes-on-holi

- RetailDetail EU: Brussels and Paris Retailers Board Up Stores Before Fresh Weekend Unrest https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/general/retailers-in-brussels-and-paris-are-barricading-their-stores-out-of-fear-of-new-riots/

- ET Retail India: Quick Commerce Becomes India Festive Gift Channel; Brands Not Equally Stocked https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/quick-commerce-becomes-a-festive-gifting-channel-but-brands-are-not-equally-stocked-for-it/135131810

Join me at NRF 2027: Retail's Big Show in New York this January. I'm the Host of the Innovation Stage at the Innovators Showcase, all three days. Register and come say hello: https://nrfbigshow.nrf.com/register?utm_source=Online%2BAdvertising&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=MK_BIGSHOW27