Britain's J Sainsbury, the subject of bid speculation, has no reason to doubt Qatari fund Delta (Two) is a supporter of the company's plans, chief executive Justin King said.

Delta (Two), owned by Qatar's royal family, triggered speculation it could be about to make a bid for Britain's third largest retailer when it raised its stake to 25 per cent last Friday.

'We never comment on individual shareholder conversations, but the Qataris some months ago said they were great admirers of Sainsbury and supporters of our plans for the future. There is no reason to doubt that point of view,' King said in a conference call with reporters following first-quarter trading. Reuters