Upmarket grocer Waitrose has seen sales increase by 8.7 per cent, boosted by sales of own-brand products, figures released today have revealed.
While sales were particularly high on Thursday January 17th as the UK prepared for a weekend of bad weather, sales of groceries in the Essential Waitrose range rocketed 21 per cent in the week to January 19th.
Popular products included Essential Waitrose baked beans, sales of which were up 43 per cent, and essential Waitrose long-life milk, up 44 per cent, as well as other staples such as sliced bread and eggs.
Another product which saw a massive surge in sales was essential Waitrose dishwasher salt, used to clear snow and ice from the ground, which recorded a 138 per cent sales increase.
Essential Waitrose launched in 2009, but significantly expanded its offering in October 2011 in response to the Big Price Drop from rival supermarket Tesco.
And as a survey from insights firm Nielsen revealed this week that value is more important than brand loyalty for UK consumers, value ranges such as Essential Waitrose look set to grow in popularity over the coming year.
Commenting on last week‘s shopping trends, Waitrose Supply Chain Director David Jones said: “Snowfall across the country towards the end of the week prompted shoppers to stock up on everyday staples and winter warming comfort foods, with particularly strong sales on Thursday as shoppers prepared for the arrival of sub-zero conditions.”
