World Cup fever in Waitrose

World Cup Fever, Father’s Day and the warmer weather combined to produce a strong performance, with total sales (excluding petrol) up by 5.2%, for Waitrose in the week to June 14.

World Cup parties inspired big sales of beverages and barbecues. Beer sales shot up by 50%, cider sales increased by 34% and soft drinks sales fizzed up by 40%. Barbecue meat sales were up by almost 100% compared to the same week last year. The supermarket chain also sold thousands of bags of charcoal, while pre-packed salads were up 36% and sales of pre-packed rolls rose by more than 20%.

Waitrose finance director Tom Athron said: “Customers have embraced their patriotism as we sold more than 14,000 units of World Cup memorabilia, including more than 4,000 flags and over 1,300 beer glasses. Perhaps as a break from the sport, some customers spent time outside and we saw gardening sales enjoying a second record week and horticulture sales up by 22%.”