The supermarket group reported like-for-like sales growth of 3.2% over the latest quarter, boosted by hot weather and the World Cup

Morrisons has posted its strongest sales growth in over a year as the supermarket chain’s turnaround continues to gain momentum.

The heavily indebted retailer said it benefited from warm weather and the World Cup during the most recent quarter.

Chief executive Rami Baitieh said the group’s performance was “robust” and outpaced the broader UK grocery market following investment in competitive pricing.

The Bradford-based company reported that group like-for-like sales rose by 3.2% over the 13 weeks to 26 July, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Total sales climbed to £4.1bn for the quarter, the company added.

Mr Baitieh said: “Our stronger sales momentum reflected a broad-based improvement across the business – with our supermarkets, online, convenience, pharmacy and Myton manufacturing businesses all reporting good growth, underlining our progress with our plans to renew and modernise Morrisons.

“We are pleased with our third quarter performance.

“Our stronger like-for-like sales, the combination of lower prices and volume growth, and our market share improvement, are all clear evidence that our strategy is delivering and that we remain on track with our plans.”

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Drinkware brand Owala is releasing a new collection of Pokemon-themed water bottles exclusively at Target on Wednesday, timing the launch to coincide with the video game franchise’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

The Owala x Pokemon collection features five distinct FreeSip water bottle designs built around some of the franchise’s most recognizable characters. Confirmed designs include a bright yellow, cream and blue bottle centered on Pikachu, marketed as the “Pikachu I Choose You” edition, alongside separate bottles dedicated to Charizard and Gengar, a design featuring Eevee alongside its evolved forms Sylveon and Vaporeon, and a Kanto Starter Trio bottle bringing together Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. Owala gave fans an early look at the collection through a short video posted to Instagram ahead of the official release, showcasing the designs across the lineup.

Owala’s FreeSip bottles, the format used across the new Pokemon collection, are known for a two-way spout system that lets users drink either upright through an integrated straw or tilt the bottle back to use a wider opening. The stainless steel bottles also feature insulated construction, a leak-resistant push-button lid, and a carry loop that doubles as a lock when closed, features consistent with Owala’s broader special-edition bottle lineup.

Target has not yet published final retail pricing for the collection, though at least one confirmed listing shows a 16-fluid-ounce stainless steel Pikachu design available on Target’s website. Given that Owala’s existing special-edition FreeSip bottles at Target typically retail in the range of $25 to $30 depending on size and finish, industry watchers have said the new Pokemon collection is likely to fall within that same general pricing tier, though exact prices for each of the five designs had not been officially confirmed as of the collection’s launch.

Target typically publishes new product drops to its website around 3 a.m. Eastern time, though the retailer had not officially confirmed the exact release time for the Pokemon collection ahead of Wednesday’s launch, according to retail coverage tracking the release. Target did tease the collaboration on its website in the days leading up to launch, confirming the collection was arriving Wednesday without detailing full pricing or size information for each design at that time.

Ahead of the official release, photos purporting to show the bottles already stocked on store shelves at some Target locations began circulating online, including images shared to social media and community forums showing the Charizard and Kanto Starter Trio designs apparently pulled directly from shelves before the collection’s confirmed launch date. One widely shared image showed a bagged Charizard bottle still bearing a printed “Remove Before Display” instruction, suggesting at least some Target locations had received and begun unpacking shipments of the collection ahead of schedule.

The character lineup selected for the collaboration leans on some of Pokemon’s most consistently popular and recognizable figures. Pikachu, the franchise’s mascot, anchors the collection, while Charizard and Gengar represent two of the series’ most enduringly popular non-mascot characters among longtime fans. The inclusion of Eevee and its evolved forms, along with the original three Kanto starter Pokemon, rounds out a lineup aimed at covering a broad cross-section of the franchise’s decades-spanning fan base without requiring more niche or recent character selections.

The collaboration’s timing is no coincidence. Wednesday’s release coincides directly with Pokemon’s 30th anniversary, marking three decades since Nintendo’s original Pokemon video games first launched and sparked what has since grown into one of the best-selling media franchises in history, spanning video games, a long-running animated series, and a global trading card game. The Owala collaboration joins a broader wave of 30th-anniversary merchandise tied to the milestone, including a Pokemon Trading Card Game 30th Celebration set that has also drawn significant attention from collectors and retailers in recent weeks, as well as a separate collaboration between apparel brand Adidas and Pokemon featuring three bomber jackets sold exclusively through Dick’s Sporting Goods.

As with many of Owala’s prior special-edition and licensed collaborations, the Pokemon collection is expected to be available for a limited time only, a pattern that has previously driven quick sellouts for the brand’s other themed drops, including past Halloween-specific FreeSip designs and other limited-run collaborations sold exclusively through Target. Owala has built a reputation in recent years for regularly releasing themed and collaboration bottles through Target, a pattern that has turned each new drop into a closely watched event among the brand’s dedicated fan following, many of whom track upcoming releases through retail-focused deal and collector community websites.

The exact online release time and full pricing details for all five Pokemon designs are expected to become clear once Target’s individual product listings go live, with retail tracking sites advising shoppers interested in the collection to check Target’s website directly on the morning of the release, given the retailer’s history of limited initial stock for similarly hyped licensed collaborations. Shoppers interested in the broader Owala lineup, including the brand’s standard FreeSip water bottles in various sizes, can find those products available now through Target’s website and in select stores, independent of the new Pokemon-specific collection’s release.

Shares of Yes Bank jumped over 4% on Wednesday after Citi, Morgan Stanley and other brokerages highlighted that the private lender will likely be one of the key beneficiaries of the newly announced charges on select UPI transactions above Rs 2,000.

Yes Bank shares jumped to Rs 24.10 apiece on the NSE on Wednesday morning, leading advances on the Nifty Bank and Nifty Private Bank indices, which were trading with marginal gains. The stock has gained more than 6% over the past week and 11% so far in 2026.

New charges on select UPI transactions

The government is all set to introduce a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on some Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions from October 15 onwards, requiring merchants to pay a 0.4% fee on transactions above Rs 2,000, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced on Tuesday. A maximum fee of Rs 300 can be levied on such transactions of Rs 75,000 or more.

Also read | Paytm, Mobikwik, Pine Labs shares rally up to 7% after govt announces UPI fees above Rs 2,000. Why brokerages are bullish

The authorities clarified that consumers will not be charged for making UPI payments, while Person-to-Person (P2P) transfers will also remain free. Small merchants classified under the P2PM framework, including vendors receiving up to Rs 1 lakh a month through UPI QR codes, will continue to be protected from MDR.

Why is Yes Bank a key beneficiary of MDR on UPI transactions

Citi called Yes Bank a standout beneficiary of the new MDR charges on select UPI transactions, given its more than 40% share in UPI beneficiary volume, ET Now reported, adding that the international brokerage expects this to potentially amplify the private lender’s earnings impact from UPI monetisation.
Citi estimates that Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and IndusInd Bank could see a 2% boost to profit before tax, while Axis Bank, State Bank of India and Federal Bank could see a 1-2% increase in earnings, the report said.Morgan Stanley also said that Yes Bank remains a relative gainer, ET reported, although the international brokerage expects the profit before tax benefit to be much lower than the 10% estimated earlier.

Also read | UPI charges from October 15: FAQs on who will pay 0.4% MDR and what consumers, small vendors & large merchants need to know

Yes Bank Chief Vigilance Officer resigns

Meanwhile, Yes Bank’s Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) Binu Soman has tendered his resignation for better career growth opportunities, the company said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. He submitted his resignation on June 17, and the bank has relieved him from his duties from Tuesday onwards.

“The Bank places on record its appreciation for the services rendered by Mr. Binu Soman during his association with the Bank,” the company said.

Disclaimer: This article has been written by Debaroti Adhikary, who is not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. Debaroti Adhikary and his/her ‘relative(s)’ (as defined under Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013) do not hold any financial interest in the companies mentioned in this article as of the date of publication. The views/recommendations mentioned in this article, wherever applicable, are those of the respective SEBI-registered Research Analyst/brokerage and have been reproduced/reported with due attribution. They should not be construed as the views or recommendations of The Economic Times Digital or the journalist. Readers are advised to consider the original research report and make their investment decisions based on their own assessment. Brokerage disclaimers here.

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi court has sentenced a butcher to 10 years in prison after he was caught selling pork as beef in Najaf, one of the holiest cities in Shia Islam, in a case that drew widespread attention and no shortage of dark humor across Iraqi social media.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said the man was arrested this month after being found in possession of 75 kilograms of pork that he had been passing off as beef to customers in the city. “Najaf Criminal Court has sentenced a convicted person to 10 years in prison for selling meat not suitable for human consumption,” the council said in a statement announcing the ruling, which was handed down Monday.

Najaf draws millions of pilgrims from around the world each year who travel to visit the mausoleum of Imam Ali, the Prophet Mohammed’s son-in-law, the fourth Islamic caliph, and the first Shia Imam. The city’s religious significance made the discovery that a local butcher had been selling pork, a meat strictly forbidden under Islamic dietary law, particularly jarring for residents and visitors alike.

While Islam forbids the consumption of pork on the grounds that it is considered impure, Iraqi law does not explicitly ban its sale within the Muslim-majority country, which is also home to a Christian minority. Prosecutors instead built their case around a 1998 law that criminalizes the sale of “dog or donkey or other meat… that is unfit for human consumption,” a statute the court applied to the butcher’s conduct in selling pork under false pretenses as beef.

News of the arrest spread quickly on social media, generating a mix of public reactions. Some Iraqis used the case to call for stronger food safety enforcement more broadly, while others responded with humor, sharing videos of pigs online captioned “here is Najaf” in reference to the case.

Among those caught up in the scandal was Najaf resident Ahmad al-Mansouri, who described his own unwitting experience buying meat from the butcher in question. “I think I have eaten more pork than beef or lamb over the past years,” Mansouri told AFP, speaking jokingly about his past purchases. Mansouri said he had been drawn in by the quality and price of the ground meat he bought from the butcher, describing it as “excellent quality” and notably cheaper than prevailing market rates, which led him to return to the shop more frequently over time.

Reflecting on the eventual discovery, Mansouri said the arrest came as a shock to regular customers who had no reason to suspect what they were actually purchasing. “We were surprised when he was arrested on charges of selling pork,” Mansouri said.

The case highlights a broader challenge around food safety oversight in parts of Iraq, where enforcement mechanisms for verifying the authenticity of meat and other food products sold in local markets can vary considerably between cities and vendors. Najaf’s status as a major pilgrimage destination, drawing visitors from Shia Muslim communities around the world, has added particular sensitivity to any case involving the mislabeling of food products that conflict with Islamic dietary restrictions, given how directly such cases can affect the religious observance of unsuspecting pilgrims and residents alike.

The 10-year sentence reflects the seriousness with which the Najaf Criminal Court treated the case, even though Iraqi law does not carry a specific prohibition on the sale of pork itself. By anchoring the prosecution in the broader 1998 statute addressing the sale of meat unfit for human consumption, the court was able to pursue a significant custodial sentence despite the absence of a law targeting pork sales specifically, a legal approach that may set a precedent for how similar cases are prosecuted in the future.

It remains unclear from the Supreme Judicial Council’s statement how long the butcher had allegedly been selling pork disguised as beef before his arrest, or how many customers may have unknowingly purchased the mislabeled meat during that period. The council’s statement did not indicate whether additional charges or civil penalties related to consumer fraud were pursued alongside the criminal case, nor did it specify whether health authorities in Najaf conducted any follow-up inspections of other meat vendors in the city following the butcher’s arrest.

The case has added to broader public conversation in Iraq around food safety standards, with social media reaction split between calls for stricter oversight of meat vendors and the darker humor that quickly overtook much of the online discussion surrounding the story. For residents like Mansouri, the episode has left a lasting impression, even as he described his own reaction to the situation with a degree of resigned humor rather than anger, reflecting a broader public response to the case that has blended genuine concern over food safety enforcement with the kind of dark comedic commentary that quickly spread across Iraqi social media platforms following news of the arrest and subsequent sentencing.