Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The mixed weather hasn’t put a dampener on sales at Waitrose, with seasonal refreshments and foods seeing strong sales in the week to May 31, according to results published last Friday (June 6).
Total divisional sales at the grocery chain, excluding petrol, were up 4.2%. Waitrose retail director Rob Collins said: “The milder temperatures led to a rise in sales of drinks mixers, up 26% on last year, with ice sales also increasing by 5% and bottled water up by 10%. Heston’s Fruit Cup, which launched in our branches and on waitrose.com last month, had a fantastic week with sales increasing by 31% on the previous week.
“Customers also chose to brighten up periods of rain for family and friends with some tempting desserts. Sales of tortes were up by 49% on the same period last year, while gateaux and meringues rose by 18%.
“The damper weather throughout the week clearly provided ample opportunity for shoppers to catch up on some reading, with magazine sales up 6% on last year. In particular, sales of ‘history titles’ increased by 116%, as the nation prepares to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day.”
It was also a busy weekend for sports fans. Rob Collins said this “undoubtedly contributed” to a rise in pizza and ready-meal sales, up 24% and 8.5% respectively on the same period last year. Snacks did very well too, as customers got together to enjoy a weekend of sport, with pretzels increasing by 35% and sharing snacks up by 30%.
