LONDON, Oct 10 - On Friday Alan Sugar, the millionaire founder of Amstrad computers and host of BBC television’s The Apprentice, confirmed in a statement to the stock exchange he had purchased a 3.88 percent stake in Woolworths, through his Amsprop vehicle. A spokesman for Sugar declined to comment.

Woolworths Group, the British sweets-to-DVDs retailer, said on Friday it has agreed to sell leases on up to nine stores to supermarket giant Tesco for up to £9m ($15.55m).