a life patron for GroceryAid in August 2015. He was previously the fundraising president from 2012 to 2014. Controversies In April 2018, Coupe took part in interviews in relation to a forthcoming merger between Sainsbury's and Walmart-owned UK subsidiary Asda. After the first interview, during the transition to the next, his microphone remained switched on and he began singing "We're in the Money". The video was widely shared and critiqued. Coupe later released a statement apologising for his "unfortunate choice of song, from the musical 42nd Street", which he had seen the previous year. Sainsbury's issued a further statement: "We all know these songs stay in your head. To attach any wider meaning to this innocent, personal moment is preposterous." When the merger failed to get approvals, he accused the Competition and Markets Authority of having "fundamentally moved the goalposts... changed the shape of the ball and chosen a completely different playing field" in its analysis. He said that with "a completely unpredictable set of competition rules, who would invest in this country?", telling BBC Radio 4: "This is just outrageous". In 2019 he was criticised for reducing the amount traditionally paid towards a Christmas party for Argos colleagues, when he sought to bring it in line with money paid towards the Sainsbury’s Christmas party. References 1960 births Living people Alumni of the University of Birmingham British retail chief executives English businesspeople in retailing English chief executives People from Watford People from Horsham District Sainsbury's people