Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The unsettled weather in August has left shoppers confused about what to cook, meaning that winter eating has arrived early in many homes.
Sainsbury’s says its customers are unsure whether to plan for a Sunday roast or a barbecue when it comes to their weekly shop at the moment. Along with the summer favourites, therefore, the supermarket has seen a surprising sales uplift in what would normally be considered winter foods over recent weeks.
Research by the retailer shows that over the past month, 55% of its customers have served up a traditional winter meal and 25% have cancelled plans to eat outdoors, while some have tried to get around the problem by hosting an indoor “carpet picnic”.
Some of Sainsbury’s best sellers over the last four weeks have been products that usually peak in the middle of winter. These include hot dessert and ice-cream, burgers, cottage pie, potatoes and chips – in fact, chips have been selling faster than salad.
August brought hugely-variable temperatures, the hottest day being 29 deg C and the coolest 14 deg C.
