J SAINSBURY PLC
Companies House classifies J SAINSBURY PLC’s principal activity under UK Standard Industrial Classification code 47110 (retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating). Trading as Sainsbury’s, the company operates one of the United Kingdom’s largest supermarket and convenience store chains, supplying food, general merchandise and clothing through its principal operating subsidiary, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, alongside a loyalty and retail-media business operated under the Nectar brand.
J SAINSBURY PLC’s ordinary shares are admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker SBRY, and the company is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. For the 52 weeks ended 28 February 2026, the group reported underlying Group sales (excluding VAT) of £33,647 million and total underlying retail operating profit of £1,025 million, with around 140,000 colleagues employed across the UK. On 31 July 2026, J SAINSBURY PLC agreed the sale of its Argos general merchandise business to Swift Partners for minimum cash proceeds of £120 million, a transaction expected to complete in February 2027; the group has also recently exited retail banking, transferring its personal loan, credit card and deposit business to NatWest Group and renaming its former banking subsidiary Sainsbury’s Financial Services Limited in June 2026.
Registration details
Company overview
J SAINSBURY PLC is a public limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 00185647, according to Companies House. Incorporated on 10 November 1922, the company is currently recorded with an “Active” status, with its registered office at 33 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HA.
Officers
65
Directors and officers of J SAINSBURY PLC
Companies House records ten active director appointments and one company secretary for J SAINSBURY PLC, within a longer history of officer appointments and resignations dating back to the 1990s. The current board is chaired by Martin Anthony Scicluna (appointed 1 November 2018) and led operationally by Chief Executive Simon John Roberts (appointed 1 June 2020) and Chief Financial Officer Bláthnaid Bergin (appointed 5 March 2023), with Adrian Hennah (appointed 1 April 2021) serving as Senior Independent Director. The remaining non-executive directors are Joanna Bertram, Kate Bickerstaffe, Stephen Hare, Jo Nell Harlow, Tanuj Kapilashrami and Keith Charles Frederick Weed. Nicolas Grant has served as Company Secretary since 5 July 2024. Nationality is officially disclosed for each director: Bláthnaid Bergin is recorded as Irish and Jo Nell Harlow as American, with all other current directors recorded as British; countries of residence are recorded as England or, more broadly, the United Kingdom. This overview reflects Companies House officer data retrieved 10 September 2026.
Recent officer changes
- Kate Bickerstaffe was appointed Director effective 3 July 2025, per Companies House filing.
- Stephen Hare was appointed Director effective 3 July 2025, per Companies House filing.
- Nicolas Grant was appointed Company Secretary effective 5 July 2024, per Companies House filing.
Data availability
Classification: Current only. Companies House publishes current director and secretary appointment dates and officially disclosed nationality for J SAINSBURY PLC, but the full historical succession of officer appointments and resignations since incorporation in 1922 was not individually reviewed in this overview. Country of residence is recorded only at country level rather than a specific address, and occupation, as distinct from legal role, is not separately reported for these appointments. The correspondence address on file for all current officers is the company’s registered office at 33 Charterhouse Street, London, a service address only and not a residential address.
Sources
- Companies House – Officers list, company number 00185647 (retrieved 10 September 2026)
- J Sainsbury plc – Our leadership, official company website (retrieved 10 September 2026)
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
Group Structure
Group structure of J SAINSBURY PLC
J SAINSBURY PLC is the ultimate parent company of the Sainsbury’s group; Companies House records no parent or controlling entity above it, consistent with its status as a UK-listed public company exempt from the persons-with-significant-control regime. Its principal direct trading subsidiary is Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd (company number 03261722), which Companies House confirms is an active company sharing the group’s registered office at 33 Charterhouse Street, London. The group has recently reorganised its financial services activities: following the 2024 agreement to sell its core personal loan, credit card and retail deposit business to NatWest Group, and the closure of all customer deposit accounts by 31 October 2025, the former Sainsbury’s Bank plc (company number 03279730) surrendered its banking licence and was renamed Sainsbury’s Financial Services Limited, re-registering as a private limited company in June 2026. On 31 July 2026, J SAINSBURY PLC agreed the sale of its Argos general merchandise subsidiary (Argos Limited, company number 01081551) to newly formed Swift Partners for minimum cash proceeds of £120 million; the transaction had not completed as at the information date below and remains a pending, not yet completed relationship. The group’s internal registry records list a substantially larger number of additional UK and overseas subsidiaries, including property, loyalty and logistics entities, which were not individually re-verified for this overview.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAINSBURY’S SUPERMARKETS LTD | England and Wales, United Kingdom | 03261722 | Direct subsidiary (principal trading company; shares registered office with J SAINSBURY PLC) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 10 September 2026 |
| SAINSBURY’S FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED (formerly Sainsbury’s Bank plc) | England and Wales, United Kingdom | 03279730 | Indirect subsidiary (former banking subsidiary, re-registered private following exit from retail banking) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 10 September 2026 |
| ARGOS LIMITED | England and Wales, United Kingdom | 01081551 | Indirect subsidiary; possible relationship change pending, subject to an agreed but not yet completed sale to Swift Partners announced 31 July 2026 | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 10 September 2026 |
Recent structural changes
- Sale of the Bank’s personal loan, credit card and retail deposit business to NatWest Group, with all customer deposit accounts closed by 31 October 2025 and the banking licence subsequently surrendered; the entity was renamed from Sainsbury’s Bank plc to Sainsbury’s Financial Services Limited in June 2026.
- Agreed sale of Argos Limited to Swift Partners for minimum cash proceeds of £120 million, announced 31 July 2026 and expected to complete in February 2027.
- Sale of the Travel Money bureau de change business to Fexco, announced 30 July 2025.
Data availability
Classification: Partial. Companies House confirms J SAINSBURY PLC has no parent or PSC given its exempt listed status, and the identities of its principal direct trading subsidiary and two recently restructured entities were independently confirmed at Companies House and in the company’s official announcements. The group’s internal registry-derived records list a substantially larger number of subsidiary, property and overseas entities across the wider group; only a small number were independently re-verified for this overview, and exact ownership percentages for individual subsidiaries were not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Sources
- Companies House – Persons with Significant Control, company number 00185647 (retrieved 10 September 2026)
- Companies House – Company overview, company numbers 03261722, 03279730 and 01081551 (retrieved 10 September 2026)
- J Sainsbury plc – Sale of Core Banking Business to NatWest Group, official press release
- J Sainsbury plc – Sainsbury’s agrees sale of Argos to Swift Partners, official press release, 31 July 2026
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
J SAINSBURY PLC
United Kingdom
Frequently asked questions
What does J SAINSBURY PLC do?
J SAINSBURY PLC (company number 00185647) is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, incorporated on 10 November 1922, registered office at 33 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HA, classified by Companies House under SIC code 47110 (retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating); it is the parent company of the Sainsbury’s supermarket and convenience store group.
Who owns J SAINSBURY PLC?
As at 4 September 2026, J Sainsbury plc's official disclosures under the UK's DTR5 regime list six shareholders holding 3% or more of voting rights: VESA Equity Investment S.à r.l. (10.00%), BlackRock, Inc. (8.65%), Qatar Holdings LLC (6.82%), Schroders plc (5.22%), Pzena Investment Management, Inc. (5.05%) and Bestway Group UK Limited (5.01%); Companies House confirms the company is exempt from the persons-with-significant-control register as a UK-listed plc.
Who is J SAINSBURY PLC's UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner)?
Every shareholder recorded for J SAINSBURY PLC is itself a company rather than a natural person, so no Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) is identified at this level; establishing one would require tracing the ownership of each shareholding company in turn.
What is J SAINSBURY PLC's company registration number?
J SAINSBURY PLC's registration number is 00185647, filed with Companies House in United Kingdom. Its current status on the register is active.
Is J SAINSBURY PLC still an active company?
J SAINSBURY PLC's status on Companies House is listed as active.
When was J SAINSBURY PLC incorporated?
J SAINSBURY PLC was incorporated on 10 November 1922, according to Companies House.
What is J SAINSBURY PLC's registered address?
The registered address on file for J SAINSBURY PLC is London, United Kingdom.
What legal structure is J SAINSBURY PLC registered as?
J SAINSBURY PLC is registered as a Public Limited Company in United Kingdom.
What is J SAINSBURY PLC's revenue?
For the 52 weeks ended 28 February 2026, J SAINSBURY PLC reported underlying Group sales (excluding VAT) of £33,647 million and total underlying retail operating profit of £1,025 million, with around 140,000 colleagues across the UK.
Is J SAINSBURY PLC listed on a stock exchange?
J SAINSBURY PLC's ordinary shares are admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker SBRY, and the company is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Who are the officers/directors of J SAINSBURY PLC?
Companies House records ten directors and one company secretary as active officers of J SAINSBURY PLC as at 10 September 2026, chaired by Martin Anthony Scicluna, with Simon John Roberts as Chief Executive and Bláthnaid Bergin as Chief Financial Officer.
Does J SAINSBURY PLC have a parent company or subsidiaries?
J SAINSBURY PLC is the ultimate parent of the Sainsbury's group, with Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd (company number 03261722) as its principal direct trading subsidiary; the group recently exited retail banking, selling its core banking business to NatWest Group and renaming Sainsbury's Bank plc to Sainsbury's Financial Services Limited in June 2026, and on 31 July 2026 agreed the sale of Argos to Swift Partners, expected to complete in February 2027.
Can Zavia monitor changes to J SAINSBURY PLC's ownership over time?
This profile reflects a point-in-time snapshot from Companies House. Zavia's monitoring API can track changes to J SAINSBURY PLC's registered shareholders, officers, and group structure going forward, flagging updates as they're filed rather than requiring a manual recheck.
Can I access J SAINSBURY PLC's data through an API?
Yes. Zavia's API connects directly to official government ownership registries across 195 countries and territories, including United Kingdom, so records like J SAINSBURY PLC's registration, shareholder, UBO, and group-structure data can be queried programmatically instead of viewed one page at a time.
Where does this company information come from, and how current is it?
This record is sourced directly from Companies House and was last synced on 8 September 2026.