LONDON: Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket chain, launched a new range of own-label fresh produce, poultry and meat on Monday, stepping up its fightback against German discounters Aldi and Lidl.
The seven new "farm" brands will consist of 76 new lines that will either match the price of competitors or beat them, Tesco said. Where there is duplication, the new products will replace Tesco's existing entry point "Everyday Value" range.
Sales, profit and asset values at Tesco have been hit by shifts in shopping habits and the rise of the discounters.
CEO Dave Lewis, who joined in September 2014, is trying to revive the firm with a focus on lower prices, improved product availability and customer service, along with better relationships with suppliers.
When Tesco updated on Christmas trading in January it reported its first like-for-like sales growth for four years.
Improving monthly industry data has followed, adding to hopes the firm may finally be recovering.
Its shares have climbed 37 percent over the last three months, and last week Tesco's UK boss Matt Davies said the retailer was "on the cusp of doing something special."
The stock was up 1.5 percent at 198 pence at 1236 GMT, valuing the business at 16.2 billion pounds.
Tesco takes on German discounters
Tesco takes on German discounters
Saudi exchange leads GCC in foreign net buying in 2025, hits $5.5bn: Kamco Invest
RIYADH: Foreign investors poured $5.5 billion into the Saudi exchange in 2025, the highest net buying in the Gulf Cooperation Council, an analysis showed.
In its latest report, Kamco Invest said the Kingdom was followed by the Abu Dhabi and Kuwait exchanges, which saw net foreign inflows of $3.4 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively, over the 12 months.
Dubai and Qatar also registered net buying in 2025, amounting to $1.3 billion and $171 million, respectively.
The steady performance in the majority of exchanges in the region comes as GCC equity markets continue to attract global capital, buoyed by strong corporate earnings and ongoing economic reforms.
“The yearly trend indicated continued positive activity by foreign investors on GCC exchanges in 2025, although total buying declined over the course of the year,” said Kamco Invest in the report.
According to the analysis, the Oman Exchange recorded the largest net sales by foreign investors in 2025 at $440 million, followed by Bahrain, which posted net sales of $10.3 million.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, net buying by foreign investors in the Kingdom stood at $1 billion, followed by Oman at $86.6 million.
All other exchanges, excluding the Kingdom and Oman, witnessed a net selling trend in the fourth quarter.
“Quarterly trading data showed that foreign investors were net sellers in Q4-2025 on all exchanges barring Saudi Arabia and Oman. Saudi Arabia recorded net foreign buying of $1 billion, while Oman saw net inflows of $86.6 million during the (fourth) quarter, partially offsetting the overall net sales across the region,” added Kamco Invest.
Foreign investors were the biggest sellers of Abu Dhabi stocks with net sales of $1 billion during the quarter, followed by Kuwait at $187.9 million, Bahrain at $45.6 million, and Qatar at $8.8 million.
Saudi Arabia and Oman also recorded consecutive net buying by foreign investors across all three months of the fourth quarter, signaling rising investor interest in these countries.
Dubai exhibited a net selling trend during the first two months of the fourth quarter, which subsequently reversed to net buying in the final month of the year.
Qatar registered net buying in the first month of the quarter before shifting to net selling in the second month, and returned to net buying in the final month.
The UAE and Kuwait exchanges experienced consistent net selling by foreign investors across all three months of the fourth quarter.
Kamco Invest said that the key factors which affected the flow of foreign money in the region included regional market trends, economic health of individual countries and crude oil prices.
