Major retailer sued for £14million in High Court investment row

Patrick O'Donnell
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:34:12 +0000

A major high street retailer is being sued for millions of pounds in case being heard by the Supreme Court.

The Skinny Food Co has launched a High Court claim against discount retailer B&M, seeking nearly £14million in damages over allegations the chain cut ties with the supplier as payback for a collapsed investment deal.

Legal proceedings commenced in February, with the health food company pursuing at least £13.8 million for what it claims were breaches of agreements between the two businesses.

According to court documents obtained by the Press Association, Skinny alleges it was removed from B&M's supplier list on two occasions, in 2021 and 2025.

The supplier claims the initial de-listing came after investment talks between Skinny and the Arora family, who controlled B&M at the time, fell through.

B&M has yet to submit its defence and has been contacted for comment. Court filings allege that Robin Arora, who served as a B&M director until 2022, made threatening remarks during the investment negotiations.

George Spalton KC, representing Skinny, stated in documents: "B&M's decision to de-list Skinny was motivated at least by the breakdown of the negotiations between (Mr Arora) and Skinny in respect of the proposed investment by the Arora family in Skinny, and by (Mr Arora's) desire to make good his threat to 'ruin' Skinny."

Mr Arora allegedly warned Skinny's directors he could not "guarantee continued B&M support" should the investment fail to proceed.

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In August 2021, he is claimed to have told the company he was "the only person that can make or break your business".

Following the deal's collapse in September 2021, Mr Arora allegedly treated Skinny "with a degree of contempt".

The commercial relationship between the two companies began in late 2020, with Skinny providing B&M with more than 50 product lines spanning spreads, sauces, ready meals, and cocktails.

Court documents claim B&M "repeatedly assured" the supplier it could "have confidence in B&M as a trading partner" whilst requesting exclusive arrangements for certain products.

Skinny also invested over £235,000 in new machinery specifically to meet expected B&M demand. Orders plummeted from £10.7million in the year ending August 2021 to approximately £3.2million the following year.

B&M allegedly failed to provide notice or explanation for reducing its purchases. In March 2022, Mr Arora allegedly stated "he was able to ruin Skinny's business if he wanted to" and that the company had "really f***** yourselves over at B&M".

The retailer ceased adding new Skinny products to its shelves from 2023. In June 2025, B&M formally notified the supplier it would remove all remaining products and halt orders by December 2025.

Skinny's legal team argues this second de-listing stemmed from B&M's "desire to punish Skinny" for lodging and pursuing complaints about rule violations.

The company claims total losses from both de-listings amount to at least £16.85million, though the damages sought stand at £13.8million.