That Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke claimed so much coverage in the business pages of the national newspapers over the weekend is no surprise.

Even in this day and age, when the hourly news cycle drives an unprecedented churn in stories, the ramifications of Richard Brasher’s departure from the company last Wednesday night are still being felt. And this will be a story that continues to run.

We’ll have more on this later in the week, but the turn of events has left Clarke looking increasingly exposed. There are legitimate concerns as to whether he, as chief executive of a giant multi-national corporation, can also juggle the detail of running its largest single market.

But, furthermore, should he fail to turn around the juggernaut that is his Tesco UK division within the next financial year, it will open him up to questions regarding his own future at the group. 

Meanwhile, the return on the agenda of Sunday trading hours was more of a surprise.

Chancellor George Osborne is expected to propose emergency legislation to allow retailers in England and Wales to trade for six extra hours during the Olympics and Paralympics starting on July 22.

It’s a move that will no doubt spark a talk of a permanent deal along these lines and re-open the debate as to whether any such move will boost profits or only spread sales whilst increasing overheads.

Let us know your thoughts ahead of the budget on Wednesday, when the announcement is expected. 

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