Waitrose sales up 2.3% last week
Waitrose grew its sales by 2.3% year-on-year excluding petrol last week, with particularly strong performances coming from outdoor ranges.
This week’s start of the tennis at Wimbledon helped boost sales of strawberries and cream, with strawberry sales up by 15% last week and cream sales rising by 9% compared to the week before.
Sales of sparkling wine and champagne climbed by 7%, while Pimm’s saw an uplift of 25%.
A very warm Saturday for much of the country led to strong sales of barbecue charcoal and gardening ranges, which were each up by 24% for the week. The retailer also sold 65% more paper napkins and disposable cups and plates than in the same week last year.
Shoppers bought 17% more bread rolls in preparation for barbecues and picnics, and 12% more hand-held ice creams, while sun lotion sales were up by 27% for the week and after-sun sales were 43% higher.
Waitrose finance director Tom Athron said: “We are also seeing a continued very positive customer reaction to our ‘Pick Your Own Offers’ scheme. The groundbreaking initiative lets MyWaitrose members choose 10 products to save 20% on each time they shop, on top of our Brand Price Match commitment and all other promotions.”
The retailer’s ‘food to go’ ranges performed well, as customers chose to buy something quick while out enjoying the weather. The entire range was up by 10%, with salads proving particularly popular, at 21% higher than last year.
