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UK stocks started the week on a bright note following advances on Asian exchanges with the benchmark FTSE 100 index closing up 1.1% at 7,195.6
Despite a downbeat Household Finance survey by researchers IHS Markit, supermarkets led the gains with Ocado up 4.6% at £12.04, Sainsbury up 3.2% at 188p and Marks & Spencer up 2.5% at 186p.
The best performing stock was pub group Greene King, up 50% to 848p, after Hong Kong's CK Asset Holdings tabled a bid a £2.7bn bid for the firm.
Greene King directors will recommend that shareholders accept the offer, from Asian billionaire Li Ka-Shing, as 'fair and reasonable'.
Facilities management company Mitie climbed 1.8% to 162p on the back of news that it had agreed to sell its catering and hospitality business to CH&CO for up to £85m.
Sale proceeds would be used to strengthen Mitie's balance sheet and trim debt.
Storage company Safestore gained 2.8% to 639p after announcing that it had formed a joint venture with Carlyle European Real Estate Fund to acquire Dutch group M3 Self Storage.
Safestore would buy a 20% equity stake for around €5m and provide management services to the venture.
Data analytics company Ixico jumped 26% to 43p as it forecast full-year revenue and earnings 'materially' ahead of market expectations.
Mineral processing group Tri-Star Resources jumped 11% to 40p as commercial-grade production commenced at an antimony-gold processing facility in Oman, of which it held a 40% stake.
Antibiotics developer Motif Bio rallied 3.5% to 2.4p on revealing that it was planning to combat Listeria infections.
AfriTin Mining advanced 3.5% to 3.6p on heralding the first production of tin concentrate at its flagship Uis mine in Namibia.
Alternative fuels developer Quadrise Fuels International sank 2.5% to 3.85p after it revealed that it was in advanced talks with a potential funding provider, sparking concerns of a dilutionary equity raising.
Immunotherapy-based cancer treatment developer Scancell fell 7% to 6.75p after it withdrew a delayed regulatory application in the US to allow the UK arm of a clinical trial to proceed.