Business

Sainsburys soar after Asda merger talks

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Sainsburys shares have jumped this morning after the company stated it is planning on merging with Asda, which is owned by Walmart. The proposed deal would be worth £7.3 billion, and Sainsburys would pay £2.98 billion in cash, and £4.3 billion in stock for Asda – which would end up with a 42 per cent stake in the combined entity. Asda will not hold more than 29.9 per cent to the total voting rights.

Sainsburys and Asda are the second and third largest supermarkets in the UK, and should the deal go ahead the new company would knock Tesco off the top spot. Morrisions who are already languishing behind in fourth place would become a distant third in the market share ranking.

Sainsburys stated there is a very compelling case for the merger, and they believe the move would produce £500 million worth of synergies. Subject to regulatory approval, the new entity would have 2800 stores and a workforce of 330,000. The UK supermarket sector has been shaken up by deep discounters such as Aldi and Lidl, and Amazon Prime also pose a threat to the traditional players too. Competition in the sector is heating up and this proposed merger is further proof the stalwarts of the high street are keen to defend their territory.

The retailer was planning on revealing its full-year figures on Wednesday, but instead decided to announce the figures early along with the merger plans. Full-year underlying pre-tax profits rose by 1.4 per cent to £589 million. In February, and the CEO, Mike Coupe, stated underlying profit would be moderately ahead of the £559 million consensus, and that figure was easily exceeded. Net debt fell by 7.8 per cent and the final dividend was increased by 8 per cent, and this is also adding to investor confidence.

Sainsburys had a record Christmas period thanks to strong online sales and a solid performance from Argos. In the 15 weeks until 6 January, sales excluding fuel, rosy by 1.2 per cent compared with the same period last year. The like-for-like sales figures, which strips out new store, saw revenue increase by 1.1 per cent. These are respectable growth levels in a difficult retail environment.

In a sign that consumer sentiment is picking up, Sainsburys stated their Taste the Difference brand saw increased demand compared with the previous Christmas. At the end of last year, the British consumer was under pressure from rising inflation and mediocre wage growth. Now that the cost of living is cooling, it might pave the way for increased retail spending.

The company is embracing technology as online sales accounted for 20 per cent of all sales during the last quarter. The integration of Argos is going well too as there was impressive growth in Agros Fast Track delivery and collection, which saw an increase of 39 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Argos opened 52 new stores in Sainsburys supermarkets, which brings the total to 164. This highlights the accelerated nature of the integration.

The rise of Lidl and Aldi forced the big four supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons) to refocus their businesses, and Sainsburys pledged to open more convenience stores. In the last quarter, convenience sales jumped by 7.3 per cent. Consumers habits are changing are Sainsburys have proved that are successfully adapting to the new environment.

According to Kantar, Sainsburys saw 1.1 per cent within the 12 weeks until 25 February – it was the lowest rate of the big four. Tesco and Morrisons were in first place with 2.7 per cent, while Asda saw 2.3 per cent growth. Sainsburys offered fewer sales promotions that is the likely reason behind subpar growth. 34.5 per cent of Sainsburys sale on promotion, and that compares with 41.9 per cent for the other major supermarkets. This underlines how savvy the British consumer is.

The share price gapped higher this morning, and if the bullish move continues it could target the 350p region. Support may come into play at 255p (200-day moving average).

Sainsburys stated there is a very compelling case for the merger, and they believe the move would produce £500 million worth of synergies.