Back to previous section

Sainsbury's shares spark on takeover defence report

Shares in J Sainsbury sparked on Monday on reports that the supermarket chain was working with a boutique investment bank to help defend itself from a potential takeover.

Source: Sharecast

There has been a raft of deal activity in the UK supermarket sector in recent months, with US giant Walmart selling Asda at the start of the year in a £6.8bn deal and Wm Morrison Supermarkets the subject of competing bids.

Speculation is now growing that Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second-largest chain after Tesco, will become the next takeover target.

But on Monday its shares jumped 2% after it emerged it was working with Robey Warshaw, the specialist M&A investment bank founded in 2013.

According to The Times, which first reported the move, Sainsbury’s has been working with the bank for several months on a broad remit but was now understood to be assessing defences in case of a potential bid.

As at 1400 BST, shares in Sainsbury’s were trading at 287.9p, making it one of the FTSE 100’s biggest risers.

Neither Sainsburys nor Robey Warshaw, which recently hired former chancellor George Osborne, have commented on the report.

N/A

Isin: N/A
Exchange: N/A
Sell:
N/A
Buy:
N/A
Change:
Date:
Prices delayed by at least 15 minutes

Compare our accounts

If you're looking to grow your money over the longer term (5+ years), we have a range of investment choices to help.

View our accounts

Lloyds Bank is not responsible for the content and accuracy of the Markets News articles. We may not share the views of the author. Understand the risks, please remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invest. We don't provide advice so if you are in any doubt about buying and selling shares or making your own investment decisions we recommend you seek advice from a suitably qualified Financial Advisor. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.

Important legal information

Lloyds and Lloyds Bank are trading names of Halifax Share Dealing Limited. The Lloyds Bank Direct Investments Service is operated by Halifax Share Dealing Limited. Registered Office: Trinity Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 2RG. Registered in England and Wales no. 3195646. Halifax Share Dealing Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, 12 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN under registration number 183332. A Member of the London Stock Exchange and an HM Revenue & Customs Approved ISA Manager.

Logo Allfunds

The information contained within this website is provided by Allfunds Digital, S.L.U. acting through its business division Digital Look Ltd unless otherwise stated. The information is not intended to be advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any of the shares, companies or investment vehicles mentioned, nor is it information meant to be a research recommendation. This is a solution powered by Allfunds Digital, S.L.U. acting through its business division Digital Look Ltd incorporating their prices, data news, charts, fundamentals and investor tools on this site. Terms and conditions apply. Prices and trades are provided by Allfunds Digital, S.L.U. acting through its business division Digital Look Ltd and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

FE fundinfo Logo

Data provided by FE fundinfo. Care has been taken to ensure that the information is correct, but FE fundinfo neither warrants, represents nor guarantees the contents of information, nor does it accept any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions or any inconsistencies herein. Past performance does not predict future performance, it should not be the main or sole reason for making an investment decision. The value of investments and any income from them can fall as well as rise.

Refinitiv Logo

© 2025 Refinitiv, an LSEG business. All rights reserved.