Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Waitrose have all confirmed that they have no current plans to branch out into legal services, despite rival retail brand The Co-operative’s high-profile move into the market.

The Co-op’s legal arm, Co-operative Legal Services (CLS), was among the first to apply for an alternative business structure (ABS) conversion, and it had been widely expected that the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s would follow suit.