London, Feb 15, 2026, 16:26 GMT — Market closed.
- Sainsbury shares last closed at 352.2 pence on Friday, up 0.6% on the day
- The grocer flagged a £2 billion sales milestone for its premium “Taste the Difference” range
- UK inflation (Feb 18) and retail sales (Feb 20) data are the next near-term tests for consumer demand
J Sainsbury shares (SBRY.L) ended Friday at 352.2 pence, up 0.6%, and finished the week about 5% higher as the London market shut for the weekend. (Share Prices)
The company said on Friday its Taste the Difference premium own-label range has passed £2 billion in sales, as shoppers mix value lines with higher-end “treat” food at home. “Hitting our £2 billion sales milestone early shows customers are responding to quality, innovation and great flavour,” James Campbell, Sainsbury’s director of food innovation, said. (Sainsbury’s)
That matters now because UK supermarkets are still fighting on price, but they need margin help wherever they can find it. Premium own-label — store-brand goods sold at higher prices than basic lines — is one of the few levers that does not rely on a full-blown discounting war.
The macro calendar will also be in the frame when trading resumes. Britain is due to publish January consumer price inflation on Feb. 18, followed by January retail sales on Feb. 20 — two releases that can swing rate expectations and the read-through for grocery volumes. (Gov)
Sainsbury’s next company-wide checkpoint is not far off either. It is due to report preliminary results on April 23 for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 28, after a January trading statement in which it reported 3.9% growth in total retail sales excluding fuel for the 16 weeks to Jan. 3 and a 1.0% drop at Argos. “We have won grocery market share for the sixth consecutive Christmas period,” chief executive Simon Roberts said in that update. (Sainsbury’s)
A small insider transaction also hit the wires late last week. Sainsbury said Mark Given, its chief technology, marketing and data officer, bought 40 shares through the company’s share incentive plan, an arrangement often used by staff to build holdings over time. (Investegate)
Buybacks remain part of the recent share-price backdrop. Sainsbury’s share repurchase programme of up to £92 million, launched in November, completed on Jan. 19 with about 28.6 million shares bought and set to be cancelled, the company said. (Sainsbury’s)
But the premium story can break the other way. If households trade down again, or discount chains force sharper price moves, higher-margin ranges can lose momentum quickly. Non-food demand at Argos, more exposed to big-ticket and discretionary spending, is still the swing factor into year-end.
Investors have been watching inflation signals closely. UK grocery inflation eased to 4.0% in the four weeks to Jan. 25, a nine-month low, market researcher Worldpanel by Numerator said earlier this month — helpful for shoppers, but a more awkward backdrop for retailers trying to push through price. (Reuters)
For Sainsbury, the next near-term catalysts are those UK CPI numbers on Feb. 18 and retail sales on Feb. 20, with its Feb. 28 year-end looming and the April 23 results as the next hard read on margins, volumes and the Argos drag.
