Online supermarket battle intensifies with forthcoming M&S and Ocado tie-up

This is Money Podcast

This is Money

Business News, Business, Investing, News

4.1 • 650 Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2020

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Since the start of lockdown in March, more Britons have ordered supermarket shopping online to be delivered to their door to dodge the crowds and beat the queuing mayhem.

This could be perfect time for Marks & Spencer, who will start its long-awaited tie-up with Ocado at the start of September, as the latter ends its 20 year long relationship with Waitrose.

M&S is starting a 'back to basics' assault, lowering the prices on everyday items and it comes as its clothing division continues to struggle.

Meanwhile, most major supermarkets are now offering same day – and in some cases, next hour – deliveries, are the days of doing the 'big shop' in large stores over? Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost take a look.

This week saw a shock rise in the cost of living: why has it happened, where will the inflation figure go next and just how many savings accounts now offering more than 1 per cent interest?

Seven US firms - Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft and Tesla – have seen stratospheric value growth this year. Is it another dotcom bubble waiting to happen?

The Department for Transport is mulling over how to allow self-driving cars on the motorway from next year, we take a look at how it works.

And lastly, we celebrate our pensions agony uncle Steve Webb, who this week wrote his 200th This is Money column.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to This Is Money Podcast, brought to you in partnership with Charles Stanley Direct, the award-winning investment platform trusted by over 40,000 clients.
0:08.8	Investment involves risk.
0:10.5	I'm Georgie Frost, and alongside editor Simon Lambert and me today is assistant editor Lee Boyce.
0:15.5	And the supermarket battles hot up.
0:18.6	This time, it's over delivery, but speed isn't everything, so we look
0:22.9	at the best value for service. And as M&S sparks a middle class price war, just head of its tie-up
0:28.3	with a Cardo, at what cost is it coming? Also today is a major cost of living crisis on the
0:34.2	cards as inflation jumps. How high can America's tech giants go as nearly
0:38.9	$2.5 trillion is added to their market values this year. Elon Musk becomes even more super-duper
0:45.9	wealthy as Tesla shares saw, plus how safe is self-driving tech as plans are afoot to take it to
0:52.5	the next stage over here. And we celebrate our
0:55.9	resident pensions, agony uncle Steve Webb, who hits a big This Is Money milestone. We take a look
1:01.7	at the former minister's top campaigns sparked by your questions. And don't forget, you can
1:06.9	stay up to date with all the latest breaking money news. Just go to this ismoney.co. UK or download the app.
1:13.7	But first, as you'd expect, as a result of coronavirus, more of us are buying our shopping
1:19.5	online with over 55s leading the way.
1:22.1	According to Waitrose, 74% bought their food goods over the internet rather than in store this year.
1:28.5	That's an increase of over a quarter on last year.
1:31.6	But will the train continue?
1:33.6	And who does it best?
1:36.5	Sainsbury's have launched a one-hour delivery service, but as I said, speed isn't everything.
1:41.4	So firstly, Lee, welcome.
	...

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