Ed Bedington
Retailers are gearing up for bumper strawberry sales as Wimbeldon fortnight gets under way, with consumers expected to eat 6,000 tonnes of the fruit.
Sainsbury is hoping to boost volumes with a half-price offer at £1.79 a punnet, flagged by a tennis ball logo.
A cross-promotion with The Sun newspaper also gave readers the chance to claim a free punnet this Saturday.
A Sainsbury spokesman said it was hoping to continue its recent sales success which saw last week’s sales top 101,000 cases, up 20,000 on last year.
Sainsbury is also offering a special four-pack of oranges throughout the tournament, packed in a clear tube similar to tennis ball packaging.
Tesco is also following the
half-price route, with 454g packs at £1.69. A spokeswoman said it expected to sell 4.5 million punnets during the Wimbledon fortnight alone.
Asda, meanwhile, is continuing to roll out its local sourcing and straight-to-store delivery policy, with 60 stores now taking delivery of locally produced fruit.
A special label is being used to highlight the policy along with the name of the farm. Currently stores in Cornwall, the West Country, Gloucestershire, Vale of Evesham, Kent, Yorkshire and Scotland are stocking the strawberries, and a spokesman said that sales growth had risen by 40%.
Meanwhile, leading supplier The Summerfruit Company, part of Redbridge Holdings, said consumers would soon be able to buy UK-grown strawberries all year round.
The company said that work by top breeder Ronnie McNicol meant its trial site in Hull was already bearing flowers ready for the next crop.
McNicol said: “We have brought together some of the world’s most successful breeders into our team and now the first UK varieties are flowering.
“They will be with selected growers by autumn and on supermarket shelves before next year’s Wimbledon.”
Retailers are gearing up for bumper strawberry sales as Wimbeldon fortnight gets under way, with consumers expected to eat 6,000 tonnes of the fruit.
Sainsbury is hoping to boost volumes with a half-price offer at £1.79 a punnet, flagged by a tennis ball logo.
A cross-promotion with The Sun newspaper also gave readers the chance to claim a free punnet this Saturday.
A Sainsbury spokesman said it was hoping to continue its recent sales success which saw last week’s sales top 101,000 cases, up 20,000 on last year.
Sainsbury is also offering a special four-pack of oranges throughout the tournament, packed in a clear tube similar to tennis ball packaging.
Tesco is also following the
half-price route, with 454g packs at £1.69. A spokeswoman said it expected to sell 4.5 million punnets during the Wimbledon fortnight alone.
Asda, meanwhile, is continuing to roll out its local sourcing and straight-to-store delivery policy, with 60 stores now taking delivery of locally produced fruit.
A special label is being used to highlight the policy along with the name of the farm. Currently stores in Cornwall, the West Country, Gloucestershire, Vale of Evesham, Kent, Yorkshire and Scotland are stocking the strawberries, and a spokesman said that sales growth had risen by 40%.
Meanwhile, leading supplier The Summerfruit Company, part of Redbridge Holdings, said consumers would soon be able to buy UK-grown strawberries all year round.
The company said that work by top breeder Ronnie McNicol meant its trial site in Hull was already bearing flowers ready for the next crop.
McNicol said: “We have brought together some of the world’s most successful breeders into our team and now the first UK varieties are flowering.
“They will be with selected growers by autumn and on supermarket shelves before next year’s Wimbledon.”
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