UK supermarket joins Tesco and Morrisons in returning government state funds
Sainsbury’s has become the third major supermarket chain in the UK to announce that it will repay most of the business rates relief it accepted from the government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company said it would repay £440m of the £490m it was eligible for after the chancellor announced in March a 12-month business rates holiday. While other retailers and hospitality firms have struggled with lockdown closures and other coronavirus restrictions, supermarkets have stayed open throughout and enjoyed a surge in sales during the pandemic, albeit with higher costs.
