Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Waitrose’s weekly sales excluding fuel were 2.9% lower than last year last week to Saturday (February 11).
The supermarket chain’s finance director Loraine Woodhouse said the result was affected in part by the timing of Valentine’s Day.
In 2016, the romantic celebration on February 14 fell on a Sunday, meaning many purchases were made in the equivalent trading week last year. But this year, shoppers still have up today to treat their loved ones.
The cold snap last week drove sales of comfort food, with soup up 30% and hot pies rising nearly 100%.
Roasts were a popular choice for the weekend, as sales of joints and accompaniments such as stuffing, stocks and gravies all increased.
Loraine noted that “shoppers are keeping healthy”, with salads up 11%, dried fruit and nuts up 23% and vegetables up 5%.
Waitrose Mini, the new brand for babies and children, had a successful launch last week. More than 300 products will be going into branches – tripling the number of baby and children products currently available in Waitrose.
Waitrose Easy Organic Pork Chop Roast
