J Sainsbury Plc expects profits to be little changed this year as higher costs and intense competition put pressure on supermarket groups.

Sainsbury's , Britain's second largest food retailer after Tesco , forecast flat profit this year as it pledged to sustain its competitive edge if a price war emerges.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s joined its arch rival Tesco today in declaring that it will sacrifice profits this year to see off the threat from an aggressively price cutting Asda.