Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Total sales excluding fuel were 0.2% lower than last year for Waitrose last week (to December 3), with festive products leading sales.
The supermarket chain’s finance director Loraine Woodhouse said: “Christmas essentials were top of shopping lists, as preparation for the upcoming festivities continues.” Store cupboard staples including savoury snacks (up 20%) and Christmas biscuits (up 39%) were snapped up in advance of parties and celebrations. Sales of frozen party food also rose by 15%.
Practical buys such as turkey foil and turkey baking trays saw sale increases of 24% and 100% respectively.
Sales of Heston Blumenthal’s range of Christmas cakes and puddings were up by 13%.
Fizz sales were strong, with Champagne up 25%. Loraine commented: “Prosecco-related products have been particularly popular this year, as initial orders of both the Prosecco Lip Balm and Prosecco Panettone have sold out, with new stock arriving in store this week.”
Waitrose’s Prosecco Panettone
