Upmarket grocer Waitrose is to add nearly 400 everyday products to its £1 billion essential Waitrose range, it has been announced, as the retailer seeks to grow its offering of affordable goods to record levels.
Launching across new areas as well as existing categories, a total of 700 essential Waitrose products will be new or improved during the course of this year, the supermarket vowed.
Part of its Brand Price Match, a response to Tesco‘s much-publicised Big Price Drop underscoring Waitrose‘s commitment to ensuring that its branded products are the same price as Tesco, the extension of the range will include promotions on more than 1,000 products each week.
Sales of essential Waitrose products now account for 18 per cent of the grocer‘s total sales since its launch in 2009 and the range has now grown to 1,800 lines across food and non-food.
“When we launched essential Waitrose four years ago we set out to offer the quality our customers expect from us with the reassurance of Waitrose values at affordable prices,” explained Waitrose‘s Marketing Director Rupert Thomas.
“The success of the range has been overwhelming; 79 per cent of shoppers now add an essential Waitrose product to their basket when shopping with us.
“We will continue to grow the range in existing and new product categories, underlining our promise to offer customers the best value without ever compromising on quality.”
