Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Total sales for Waitrose last week (to October 15), excluding fuel, were 3.9% higher than last year.
The supermarket chain’s retail director Ben Stimson said: “The weather was mild last week for much of the country – two degrees higher on average than the same week last year.
“This drove a strong performance for fresh produce, up 7.8%.Within this, customers bought 20% more citrus fruit, 10% more soft fruit, and 31% more from our stir fry vegetables range.
“Shoppers were also looking to our horticulture range to brighten their homes, buying 46% more bouquets and 13% more house plants.”
He added: “Many took the opportunity of strong promotions across our spirits category last week to start stocking up for the festive period. The range was up by 10% as a whole, with top performers including our malt whisky range, up 42%, and gins, up 17%.”
