Exclusive Julian Hunt Sainsbury is aiming to blow Tesco Finest out of the water with the launch of a premium own label range dubbed Taste the Difference. The range will start appearing in stores next month and Sainsbury has boldly predicted that it will be quickly doing four times as much business as Tesco Finest. Details of the launch were revealed at the first suppliers' conference to be hosted by the supermarket chain's new look management team. The conference was attended by 100 of Sainsbury's top manufacturers ­ and The Grocer. Suppliers were told only products that had been made with "time, care and attention" to ensure they were "better than anything else" would be able to carry a Taste the Difference label. The range will comprise 300 products, ranging from pure set Tasmanian leatherwood honey to three year old Parmesan cheese to handmade farmhouse toffee crunch ice cream. Marketing director Sara Weller explained that unlike Tesco Finest, the new Sainsbury range would not be "dinner party special" but would be pitched as products that were "extra special, everyday eating". And trading director Stuart Mitchell stressed that, despite its premium positioning, the range was all about volume products with mass appeal. Mitchell also revealed that in March 2001 Sainsbury would be launching a range of kids' products. There will be 175 to 200 "nutritionally balanced" products in the range, which he said would feature innovative packaging and branding. In addition, suppliers heard Mitchell promise Sainsbury would maintain its leadership in organics with more innovations on the way in areas such as wet baby foods, cereals and frozen vegetables. The chain would continue to tackle food integrity issues head on, Mitchell added. But he said it would communicate developments more effectively to consumers ­ as it had with its recent launch of pasteurised eggs. Suppliers were told that bringing quality products to market quickly was an important part of Sainsbury's strategy for rebuilding its position as the country's top food retailer. "Quality is our heritage and our performance has been deteriorating," said Mitchell. But he claimed Sainsbury could regain the ground it had lost. And he said it wanted to lead the market in key areas when it came to quality and innovation, overtaking Tesco and Asda within 18 months and M&S and Waitrose within 24 months. "We are going to do fewer things, bigger and better," said Mitchell. - Exclusive report p14. {{NEWS }}

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