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CEO Caught On TV singing 'We're In The Money' After Takeover

LONDON (AP) — The CEO of British supermarket chain Sainsbury's has apologized after being caught on camera singing 'We're in the Money' following the purchase of Walmart's British unit, Asda.

Mike Coupe was preparing for an ITV interview to discuss the $10 billion deal when caught on microphone singing a song from the musical '42nd Street,' which is based on a movie made during the Great Depression.

BRITAIN-US-RETAIL-MERGER-SAINSBURY-WALMART
Logos of supermarket chains Asda (top) and Sainsbury's are pictured outside adjacent branches of their stores in Stockport, northern England on April 30, 2018. - Britain's second and third biggest supermarket chains Sainsbury's and Walmart-owned Asda have agreed to merge, the pair said Monday, hoping to create a £13-billion ($18-billion, 15-billion-euro) retail king and leapfrog UK number one Tesco. The blockbuster deal -- which is effectively a takeover bid with Sainsbury's acquiring a majority 58-percent stake -- comes as the British supermarket sector faces squeezed profit margins and fierce competition from German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl and online US titan Amazon. (credit OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

As he composed himself for the interview, Coupe sang "we're in the money, the sky is sunny, let's lend it, spend it, send it rolling along." He later described it as "an unguarded moment" on a stressful day.

"It was an unfortunate choice of song, from the musical 42nd Street, which I saw last year, and I apologize if I have offended anyone," he said.

BRITAIN-US-RETAIL-MERGER-SAINSBURY-WALMART
Shoppers hold plastic Asda carrier bags as they wait at a bus stop outside the entrance to a Sainsbury's supermarket store in Stockport, northern England on April 30, 2018. - Britain's second and third biggest supermarket chains Sainsbury's and Walmart-owned Asda have agreed to merge, the pair said Monday, hoping to create a £13-billion ($18-billion, 15-billion-euro) retail king and leapfrog UK number one Tesco. The blockbuster deal -- which is effectively a takeover bid with Sainsbury's acquiring a majority 58-percent stake -- comes as the British supermarket sector faces squeezed profit margins and fierce competition from German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl and online US titan Amazon. (credit OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

The Unite union, which is worried about job losses resulting from the takeover, posted a video of Coupe's song on its Twitter feed.

"What's his true motive for the merger? Sainsbury's boss sings 'We're in the Money' before TV interview," Unite tweeted.

The value of Coupe's 1.28 million shares in Sainsbury's rose over half a million pounds ($750,000) Monday after the deal's announcement.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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