Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Cold weather influenced shopping patterns at Waitrose last week, leading to a spike in ranges such as hot drinks, ready meals and soups.
For the seven days to Saturday January 14, total sales excluding fuel were up by 2.7% on the same week last year.?
The supermarket chain’s IT director Mike Sackman commented: “The January health kick is clearly in full swing, with lots of fresh produce and fish being bought – including 9% more salads, 20% more avocados and a strong demand for our Fish Friday promotion.
“Many customers have been choosing low-alcohol and alcohol-free wines – either to participate in ‘dry January’ or just to minimise their alcohol intake at the start of the year.
“But overall our wine sales (up 5%) indicate people are still choosing to enjoy wine in moderation. We[re also seeing robust gin sales, with the range up by 17% last week.
“Customers are taking the opportunity of our half-price offers to stock up cupboards, with particular demand for cleaning and laundry products to freshen up homes at the start of the year.”
