When we launched The Grocer 33 shopping survey in 1997, we promised to track trends, price variations and availability across the regions. One of the first chains to spot its promotional potential was Morrisons which used it in a campaign to tell its customers how it offered the best value in its prices. Since then the chain has steadily made inroads into the south allowing our shoppers to visit 39 stores this year. The past five years have seen a wealth of price hikes, price falls and events which have changed the grocery environment. Breakfast has had its fair share of targeting, with orange juice, Kellogg's Corn Flakes 500g, Hovis wholemeal and Anchor Spreadable all rising in price between 1998 and 1999, while Nescafé 100g fell in price by 10p. The turning point was in February 1999 when Tesco slashed the price of 11 items in its Unbeatable Value campaign and sparked the start of prices reverting back to near 1997 levels. Aggressive marketing campaigns followed ­ Asda's Rollback, Somerfield's Price Check, Morrisons' Price Mission Plus, Safeway's Deep Cuts and Mega Deals, Sainsbury's Value to Shout About. Tesco's out of stocks tally went up when it delisted Anchor Spreadable in 1999, as did Asda's when it delisted Birds Eye cod fish fingers for seven months from October 1999. Foot and mouth in February 2001 sent prices spiralling upwards. Milk went up 1p to 27p, followed by another 1p hike in April. In March last year FMD led to hefty rises in bacon, and in July 2001 mature cheese prices rose by as much as 13p/250g. {{GROCER 33 }}

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