Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Total sales excluding fuel for Waitrose rose 3.6% last week (to February 20), with trading influenced by the half term school holiday and Valentine’s Day.
Baking proved a popular pastime in the school break, with sales of cake-making ingredients on the increase. Nuts were up by 15%, essences and colours were up by 8% and dried fruit was up by 81%.
The supermarket chain said ‘the increasing popularity of the NutriBullet [nutrient extractor] is believed to be having a significant impact on fruit sales’. Fresh soft fruit sales grew 11%, while frozen fruit sales rose 17%.
On Valentine’s Day, cards and gift wrapping sales shot up by 82% and champagne sales by 18% compared to last year as some shoppers left it late.
Prepared meal solutions saw growth too, with sales of the Waitrose Easy to Cook range up 15% and fresh vegetable accompaniments up 17%.
NutriBullet 12 Piece 600 Series Juicer Blender
