Waitrose unpacks more products as demand for refillables grows
Waitrose is expanding the range of products it offers as part of its ‘Unpacked’ refillable concept in response to growing customer demand.
The 13 new lines includes loose tea for the first time with five different varieties. Dried apricots, dried fruit mix, raisins, sultanas and currants have also been added.
The supermarket has seen sales of refillables at its four Unpacked shops climb by nearly 9% in the past six months. This has included over a 50% uplift in sales of refillable frozen fruit and vegetables and a 24% rise in sales of detergent and washing-up liquid. Pulses, pasta and grains have also proved popular.
Waitrose launched its refillables programme in 2019 and in January went one step further when it integrated unpacked items into the regular aisles in its shop in Wallingford. The test aims to understand whether customers would be more likely to shop ‘unpacked’ by incorporating it into their normal routine shopping trips, rather than visiting a separate part of the shop. Waitrose said the move has helped sales of refillables at the shop increase by more than 20% in the ten weeks of the test to date.
Marija Rompani, director of ethics and sustainability at Waitrose, said: “We are really beginning to find some momentum with customers demonstrating that this is how they might be prepared to shop with us in the future and we are especially encouraged by the response to moving the concept in-aisle to make it more of the norm when visiting us. We know there is much more work to do, but the reaction of customers right now is giving us the confidence to continue moving forward with Unpacked.”
