Sainsbury's reportedly held merger talks with Morrisons before walking away
Reports say Sainsbury's and Morrisons held preliminary merger talks earlier this year. City A.M. says the talks ended and neither company commented.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2Sainsbury's held exploratory merger talks with rival supermarket Morrisons earlier this year, according to press reports published on 5 October 2026. Daily ExpressR “J Sainsbury held merger talks with rival supermarket Morrisons earlier this year, it has been claimed.” Read at Daily Express ↗ City A.M.RC “Sainsbury’s and Morrisons held talks over blockbuster merger” Read at City A.M. ↗ Right · 1City A.M. says the talks ran between November 2025 and February 2026, that it is understood they were preliminary, and that Sainsbury's walked away from them. City A.M.RC “between November 2025 and February this year, it is understood”“Sainsbury’s walked away from talks over a merger with smaller rival Morrisons earlier this year” Read at City A.M. ↗ Right · 2City A.M. reports there are no active talks, though neither side has ruled out discussions restarting. It attributes the first report to the Financial Times, while the Daily Express cites Sky News. City A.M.RC “There are no active talks between the two sides but the two parties have not ruled out the possibility of discussions restarting in the future.”“Talks between Sainsbury’s and Morrisons were first reported by the Financial Times.” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “The companies held exploratory discussions earlier this year, Sky News reports” Read at Daily Express ↗
Right · 2Morrisons and Sainsbury's declined to comment to City A.M.; the Express said it had contacted both for comment. City A.M.RC “Morrisons and Sainsbury’s declined to comment.” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “The Express has contacted Sainsbury's and Morrisons for comment.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Right · 2Morrisons is owned by the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), which bought it in 2021. City A.M. says it carries a large debt pile, with net debt rising from £7.1bn to £7.5bn in the year to October 2025. The Express says CD&R is expected to stay open to a tie-up with a major competitor. City A.M.RC “The group’s net debt grew from £7.1bn to £7.5bn in the year to October 2025” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “is expected to remain open to a tie-up with one of the chain's major competitors” Read at Daily Express ↗ Right · 2Using Worldpanel data, City A.M. puts Sainsbury's at 15.2% of the UK grocery market and Morrisons at 8.4%, giving a combined 23.6%, still below Tesco's 27.8%. The Express cites a combined share of 23.8% and Tesco at 28.1%. City A.M.RC “Sainsbury’s holds a 15.2 per cent share of the UK’s grocery market, while Morrisons has a 8.4 per cent share” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “A combined Sainsbury's and Morrisons would hold a 23.8% share of the market, according to recent data.”“Tesco holds a 28.1% share of the grocery market” Read at Daily Express ↗
Right · 2Regulation is the main obstacle: the Competition and Markets Authority blocked Sainsbury's attempt to buy Asda, which City A.M. dates to 2019 and values at £7.3bn and the Express dates to 2020. City A.M. says a Sainsbury's–Morrisons deal would also face CMA scrutiny and might require store sales. City A.M.RC “Sainsbury’s attempted to buy discount grocer Asda for £7.3bn in 2019, but had this deal blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)”“could force the firm to sell stores to soothe fears of lessened competition” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “a previous attempt to merge Asda and Sainsbury's in 2020, though the deal was blocked by competition regulators” Read at Daily Express ↗ Right · 1The Express adds that industry sources expect another wave of grocery consolidation within three years, and that Asda, also owned by private equity investors, would be involved in further discussions. Daily ExpressR “another wave of supermarket industry consolidation is believed to be on the cards in the next three years”“Asda, which is also owned by private equity investors, would similarly be involved in another round of corporate discussions” Read at Daily Express ↗ Right · 2On trading, City A.M. says Sainsbury's food sales rose 3% to £8bn in the three months to June and that Argos was sold to Swift Partners for £120m in July. It says Morrisons posted a fifteenth consecutive quarter of sales growth last month. The Express notes that Sainsbury's, which is due to give a half-year update on 8 October, reported weaker-than-expected 1% sales growth in June. City A.M.RC “the group sold Argos to Swift Partners for £120m”“the grocer last month posted sales growth for the fifteenth consecutive quarter” Read at City A.M. ↗ Daily ExpressR “half-year update on October 8” Read at Daily Express ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets relay reports from other media (Sky News, the Financial Times) and treat the talks as significant for the grocery sector. The Express calls it a 'bombshell move' and looks ahead to more consolidation. City A.M. stresses that Sainsbury's walked away and covers financial detail.
- Emphasis
- Express: market shares, possible further consolidation, Sainsbury's upcoming update. City A.M.: timeline of talks, CMA risk, Morrisons' debt and trading.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither has comment from the companies. The Express gives no dates for the talks. City A.M. does not discuss wider industry consolidation.
- Charged language
- “bombshell move”“blockbuster merger”
- For example
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“Sainsbury's 'held talks with rival Morrisons' over bombshell move” — Daily Express
“Sainsbury’s and Morrisons held talks over blockbuster merger” — City A.M.
What every side reports
- Sainsbury's and Morrisons held merger talks earlier this year, according to press reports.
- Neither company has commented publicly.
- Morrisons is owned by Clayton Dubilier & Rice.
- An earlier Sainsbury's attempt to buy Asda was blocked by competition regulators.
Where accounts differ
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Combined market share and Tesco's share
- Right
- The Express gives a combined 23.8% share and Tesco at 28.1%. City A.M. gives 23.6% combined and Tesco at 27.8%.
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Source of the original report and status of talks
- Right
- The Express cites Sky News and frames the talks as a sign of coming consolidation. City A.M. credits the Financial Times, dates the talks to November 2025–February 2026 and says Sainsbury's walked away.
Sainsbury's organisation
Declined to comment on the reported talks.
“Morrisons and Sainsbury’s declined to comment.” — City A.M.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Sainsbury's 'held talks with rival Morrisons' over bombshell move
Mixed Presents the talks as a claim relayed from Sky News and as part of a coming consolidation wave, mixing in Tesco and Sainsbury's trading context.
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Sainsbury’s and Morrisons held talks over blockbuster merger
Neutral Reports the talks as ended but possibly revivable, with regulatory and financial context for both grocers.
- 5 Oct 14:03 First Daily ExpressR Sainsbury's 'held talks with rival Morrisons' over bombshell move
- 5 Oct 14:25 +22m City A.M.RC Sainsbury’s and Morrisons held talks over blockbuster merger
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.