By Emma Carter
For over three decades, Riad Beladi has been one of the sharpest observers of the retail and supermarket landscape. As an analyst, journalist, and interviewer, he has spoken with some of the most influential figures in the sector—including Sir Terry Leahy, the Tesco CEO credited with reshaping supermarket multiples in the 1990s and 2000s.
We sat down with Riad to ask him the big questions: why do some supermarket chains succeed while others, often starting from the same point, vanish from the high street altogether?
Emma Carter: Riad, let’s start with the big one. Why are some supermarket chains so successful while others, which started around the same time, are struggling?
Riad Beladi: It often comes down to decisions made in the first few years of growth. Some retailers understood their market, expanded at the right pace, and invested where it mattered most. Others grew too fast, misjudged their customer base, or lost focus on their core offer. The fundamentals never change—get your location and your pricing right, and the rest can follow. Fail at either, and you’re fighting an uphill battle.
Emma Carter: So, is it primarily about company policy, or is something else at play?
Riad Beladi: Policy matters, but it’s not the whole picture. You can have the best corporate policy written down, but if it isn’t executed effectively, it’s worthless. It’s about how those policies translate into real customer experiences—availability of products, store atmosphere, value for money. The winning supermarkets keep their policies practical, adaptable, and customer-focused.
Emma Carter: Where does strategy fit into this?
Riad Beladi: Strategy is the glue that holds everything together. You need a clear long-term vision but also the flexibility to adapt when market conditions change. In the last decade, for example, we’ve seen pricing take over as the top priority for shoppers. Ten years ago, I would have said location was number one. Today, the weekly savings in your shopping trolley matter more than anything else—even more than the latest technology or a big advertising budget.
Emma Carter: That’s interesting—so price has overtaken location?
Riad Beladi: Yes. In the past, a prime location could almost guarantee success. Now, even the most conveniently placed store can lose customers if it’s overpriced. People are doing their sums every week. They’re looking for the place where their basket costs less, and they will travel to get it. Technology, advertising, loyalty schemes—all these help, but if your prices aren’t competitive, you’re swimming against the tide.
Emma Carter: You’ve seen big names disappear from the UK market over the years—Somerfield, Safeway. Why did they vanish?
Riad Beladi: Those are classic examples of what happens when strategy and market reality fall out of sync. Safeway lost its identity—it didn’t know whether to compete on price, quality, or convenience, and in trying to do all three, it ended up doing none convincingly. Somerfield struggled to modernise; it lagged in store investment, pricing competitiveness, and supply chain efficiency. Meanwhile, competitors like Tesco, Asda, and later Aldi and Lidl were moving fast, innovating, and offering clearer value propositions. In retail, if you can’t tell your customers in one sentence why they should shop with you, you’re in trouble.
Emma Carter: Finally, if you had to give supermarkets one piece of advice for the future, what would it be?
Riad Beladi: Never lose sight of the customer’s perspective. Retailers sometimes get caught up in internal priorities—shareholder demands, expansion targets, new systems—while forgetting that the customer just wants quality, value, and convenience. Listen to them, keep your offer sharp, and don’t be afraid to change direction when the market tells you to.