Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Customers gearing up for Christmas helped total sales (excluding petrol) rise by 4.2% for Waitrose in the week to November 15.
The supermarket chain’s Christmas advertisement, which has a gingerbread-making theme, seems to have inspired home bakers as sales of ginger rose 17% on last year and cake decoration by 15%. In addition, mincemeat sales grew by 60%. More than 150 branches are providing free in-store gingerbread icing stations to encourage children to try baking.
Stationery sales, including cards and wrapping paper, climbed 12%, while Christmas cracker sales were up 15%. Customers were stocking up early on tipples, too, with port sales up 15%.
Waitrose’s range of Christmas sandwiches is now available and sales of the turkey, bacon and cranberry sandwich saw a huge uplift of 50%. Elsewhere, hot meat pies were in demand with sales up 50% and the Waitrose Indian ready meal selection had its best week ever: up 64%.
Waitrose finance director Tom Athron added: “Salisbury’s new-look Waitrose Food & Home store, featuring our second cookery school, also reopened last week – with sales exceeding all expectations.”
