// Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Amazon are backing the government’s efforts to support households facing the cost-of-living crisis
// The new cost of living campaign Help for Households is aimed at helping families tackle rising costs this summer
Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Amazon are among retailers backing the government’s efforts to support households facing the cost-of-living crisis.
The government’s new cost of living campaign Help for Households, is aimed at helping families tackle rising costs this summer.
Some deals are a continuation of existing campaigns by retailers, which the government wants to promote under the Help for Households campaign, while others are new initiatives.
READ MORE: Cost-of-living crisis weighs on retail sales as inflation soars
As part of the scheme, Asda has extended its ‘Kids eat for £1’ offer, where children aged 16 and under can access a hot or cold meal for £1 in Asda cafés across the country, until the end of the year. It was initially rolled out as a summer offer.
It also launched the Essential Living Hub, a one-stop money advice saving website providing valuable information to customers struggling with cash management.
“Our latest Asda Income Tracker shows that families are on average £175 worse off per month compared to this time last year and many are finding it increasingly tough to make ends meet,” Asda chief corporate affairs and people officer, Hayley Tatum said.
“We want to do all we can to support families during these tough times which is why we’re pleased to support the ‘Help for Households’ initiative.”
Sainsbury’s is also bringing back its ‘feed your family for a fiver’ campaign, which helps customers with budget-friendly meal ideas featuring its own products. All recipes feed a family of four for less than £5.
“The rising cost of living is at the forefront of customers’ minds, so we are delighted that our feed your family for a fiver campaign is part of the initiative, helping people save money when it matters most,” Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts said.
“We have invested over half a billion pounds since March 2021 to ensure the items customers buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices.”
Meanwhile, Morrisons has an initiative where every child can get a free meal from the kids’ menu or a chilled kids’ snack pack at its in-store cafés when a parent buys an adult meal with a value of £4.99 or over.
Online giant Amazon has launched a new ‘help for households’ section to its website, which shows users how to access free or discounted products and services from Amazon.
This includes low-price essential groceries, learning resources for students, as well as more information on how customers can save while shopping online.
The Association of Convenience Stores said it “strongly welcomed” the Help for Households campaign and was committed to working with Buttress to highlight how c-stores are supporting both customers and colleagues through the cost of living crisis.
“Many convenience store retailers are providing significant staff discounts and other benefits as part of extra support packages for colleagues in store, as well as doing everything they can to keep prices on the shelf in check despite rising costs in just about every area of their businesses,” ACS CEO James Lowman said.
These retail deals will aim to help families navigate four key periods – the summer holidays, back to school, autumn pressures and Christmas retail.
They build on the £37 billion package of Help for Households already being provided by government, which includes tax cuts and help towards energy, childcare and transport costs.
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