Sainsbury's: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
J Sainsbury PLC is owned by its shareholders: as a listed company it has no single person with significant control on the register. In the year to February 2026 it reported turnover of £33,647m.
- In the year to February 2026, Sainsbury's had turnover of £33,647m, up 2.7% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £619m, keeping £1.84 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 91,000 people, with staff costs of £4,319m.
- J Sainsbury PLC is listed on the stock market, so it is owned by its shareholders.
- These figures are from J Sainsbury PLC's group accounts for the year to February 2026, filed at Companies House on 21 July 2026.
- Registered name
- J SAINSBURY PLC
- Company number
- 00185647
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 10 November 1922
- Registered office area
- East-Central London
- Industry code on the register
- 47110: Retail trade
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to February 2026, filed 21 July 2026
What does Sainsbury's do?
Sainsbury's is a supermarket chain selling groceries, household goods and clothing through large supermarkets, convenience stores and online. J Sainsbury plc also owns Argos, which sells general merchandise online and through collection points in its stores, and runs the Nectar loyalty scheme, which also earns money from advertising for brands. The business traces back to a shop opened in London in 1869 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
In brief: supermarket chain · owns Argos · Nectar loyalty scheme · listed
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: corporate.sainsburys.co.uk.
Who owns Sainsbury's?
J Sainsbury PLC, company number 00185647, has no person with significant control on the register. That is normal for a company whose shares trade on a regulated market: ownership sits with the shareholders who hold the shares at any given time.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Sainsbury's?
The Companies House register lists 11 current officers for J Sainsbury PLC.
All 11 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Jo Nell Harlow | 11 September 2017 |
| Martin Anthony Scicluna | 1 November 2018 |
| Simon John Roberts | 1 June 2020 |
| Tanuj Kapilashrami | 1 July 2020 |
| Keith Charles Frederick Weed | 1 July 2020 |
| Adrian Hennah | 1 April 2021 |
| Joanna Bertram | 7 July 2022 |
| Blathnaid Bergin | 5 March 2023 |
| Nicolas Grant | 5 July 2024 |
| Kate Bickerstaffe | 3 July 2025 |
| Stephen Hare | 3 July 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Sainsbury's file?
J Sainsbury PLC reported turnover of £33,647m in the year to February 2026. That was up 2.7% on £32,772m the year before.
It reported 91,000 employees. The year before it reported 95,000.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £619m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £607m the year before.
Staff costs came to £4,319m. That is an average of £47,000 a head. It ended the year with £1,067m at the bank and net assets of £6,150m. It paid dividends of £566m.
| Measure | Feb 2026 | Feb 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £33,647m | £32,772m |
| Pre-tax profit | £619m (filed) | £607m (filed) |
| Employees | 91,000 | 95,000 |
| Staff costs | £4,319m | £4,091m |
| Average staff cost per head | £47,000 | £43,000 |
| Bank and cash | £1,067m | £2,222m |
| Net assets | £6,150m | £6,765m |
| Dividends paid | £566m | £308m |
| Interest paid | £342m | |
| Interest received | £64m | |
| Directors' pay | £10m |
Read the accounts to February 2026 (ZIP, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against Sainsbury's?
J Sainsbury PLC has registered 31 charges at Companies House, of which 14 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 14 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Law Debenture Corporate Services Limited for Itself and on Behalf of the Bond Guarantor Secured Creditors | 6 April 2006 |
| The Bank of New York (For Itself and on Behalf of the Other Borrower Secured Creditors) | 31 March 2006 |
| Bass Holdings Limited | 7 September 1993 |
| Alliance Assurance Company Limited as Trustees for Holders of the Stock | 25 March 1992 |
| Alliance Assurance Company Limited | 23 October 1990 |
| Alliance Assurance Company Limited. | 20 May 1989 |
| Alliance Assurance Company Limited. | 20 May 1989 |
| Alliance Assurance Company Limited | 5 August 1985 |
| Alliance Assurance Company LTD | 10 March 1976 |
| Alliance Assurance Co. LTD | 10 April 1975 |
| Alliance Assurance Co. LTD | 10 April 1975 |
| Alliance Assurance Co LTD | 12 February 1974 |
| Alliance Assurance Co. LTD | 12 February 1974 |
| Alliance Assurance Co LTD | 18 August 1969 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Sainsbury's compares
Of the 10 supermarkets, Sainsbury's is 2nd on turnover, 3rd on profit margin and 6th on growth. Tesco keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £3.26.
| Rank | Supermarkets | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tesco | £73,712m | £3.26 |
| 2nd | Sainsbury's | £33,647m | £1.84 |
| + 8 more supermarkets ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Sainsbury's files as J Sainsbury PLC, with turnover of £33,647m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Sainsbury's
What does Sainsbury's do?
Sainsbury's is a supermarket chain selling groceries, household goods and clothing through large supermarkets, convenience stores and online. J Sainsbury plc also owns Argos, which sells general merchandise online and through collection points in its stores, and runs the Nectar loyalty scheme, which also earns money from advertising for brands. The business traces back to a shop opened in London in 1869 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Is Sainsbury's bigger than Tesco?
No, by turnover. Sainsbury's reported £33,647m in its latest accounts, against £73,712m at Tesco. Our Tesco v Sainsbury's page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Tesco v Sainsbury's →
How does Sainsbury's compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Sainsbury's is 2nd of the 10 companies in our battle of the supermarkets, behind Tesco. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the supermarkets →
Who owns Sainsbury's?
J Sainsbury PLC is owned by its shareholders. As a listed company it is exempt from the register of people with significant control, so no single owner appears at Companies House.
How much does Sainsbury's make?
J Sainsbury PLC reported turnover of £33,647m in the year to February 2026. It filed a pre-tax profit of £619m.
How many people work at Sainsbury's?
J Sainsbury PLC reported 91,000 employees in the year to February 2026.
Who runs Sainsbury's?
The Companies House register lists 11 current officers for J Sainsbury PLC. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from J Sainsbury PLC's filings at Companies House, company number 00185647, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Sainsbury's: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/sainsburys/. Figures from Companies House filings for J SAINSBURY PLC (00185647).
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