Aldi has kicked off the Easter weekend promotions with a swipe at Waitrose as the supermarkets battle for shoppers.
The discount chain took out several ads in the national newspapers today as it compared its Specially Selected Hot Cross buns (99p for four) to Waitrose’s own-label equivalent (£1.59 for four), and insisted it beat the upmarket retailer on both quality and price.
An under-pressure Tesco is hoping to attract customers with budget deals on electricals as part of its “Extra – Big Easter Weekend” superstore promotion. Deals include an Xbox 360 for £125 and a 32-inch HD TV for £129. Waitrose is also looking to shift its non-food offer by offering MyWaitrose card holders 20% off selected household cleaning products.
Meat and fish are also a key battleground, with Asda and Aldi offering the cheapest leg of lamb at just £4. Lidl is hoping consumers will eat a less traditional meat joint by pricing a Deluxe shoulder of venison for £5.99.
Morrisons, meanwhile, is championing its fish offer over the Easter weekend as it claimed 63% of people consider eating fish on Good Friday. Its offers include half-price deals on whole salmon (£5.49 per kg) and cod loin (£8.99 per kg).
Sainsbury’s has been busy promoting its Easter Egg range, pushing its own-label eggs for £1 in a bid to take on brands such as Cadbury. According to Brandview.com data, own label accounted for less than 9% of the retailer’s range of 150 confectionery eggs last Easter; this year Sainsbury’s range has dropped to 136 lines, but more than 16% of them are own label.
Kantar’s Bryan Roberts believes the recent growth of the discounters and Waitrose will continue over the Easter weekend: “The discounters have upped their seasonal game yet again in terms of assortment and marketing and will continue their winning streak.
“Waitrose is set to enjoy a bumper Easter, perhaps buoyed by a bit of trading up, while the big four have obviously selected some of the key Easter lines as the centrepiece of their marketing initiatives. Meat in particular seems to have been a focal point, so it remains to be seen if offering great deals on lamb and chicken will have been a successful strategy.”
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