BY RICHARD STONE

Get your mind out of the gutter! It wasn’t anything salacious. Instead, Mike Coupe was caught on camera singing “We’re in the money”, a rather catchy show tune from the musical 42nd Street.

Now normally this sort of merriment wouldn’t be a problem, however with speculation that the merger is being made with just shareholders’ interests in mind, rather than staff and customers, it doesn’t put either retailer in the best light.

A statement from the Sainsbury’s PR machine to the Huffington Post, said: “We all know these songs stay in your head. To attach any wider meaning to this innocent, personal moment is preposterous.”

Coupe added: “This was an unguarded moment trying to compose myself before a TV interview. It was an unfortunate choice of song, from the musical 42nd Street which I saw last year and I apologise if I have offended anyone.”

While this little number may have been an innocent mistake, it will certainly have ramifications that could have been avoided if Coupe had perhaps undergone a formal media briefing prior to the interview.

I imagine the CEO of Sainsbury’s has undertaken countless interviews with the nation’s press over the years, but it’s easy to make little mistakes that can snowball into an avalanche.

If, like Mike Coupe, you feel like you need to brush up on your media interview skills, why not drop us a line at sayhello@stonejunction.co.uk or on 01785 225416 to see how we can help.