Chris Fletcher
Last June The Grocer 33 weekly survey was overhauled to reflect changes in market trends,shopping habits and to take our survey to Northern Ireland for the first time.
But over the past six months our shopping basket has come back full less than half the time - despite the millions of pounds spent on technology by grocers to ensure on-shelf availability.
Morrisons was the clear leader for availability with a 75% strike rate over the period, followed by Waitrose on 61% and Asda with 57%. The rest fell below the industry average of 42%.
However, Asda was the only multiple to improve on its first-quarter availability, up 7% to 60%. The Co-operative Group was steady at 33% for both quarters. Perhaps the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the battle for Safeway distracted the others from their stock control. At Morrisons full basket availability fell 19% in the second quarter, while at its takeover target, Safeway, it fell 5%. Availability was down 10% at Sainsbury, 9% at Tesco and Waitrose and 8% at Somerfield.
Tesco averaged two missing items on every G33 visit, with just one full basket checked in for every four trips to the multiple. Its Bury St Edmunds store racked up nine out of stocks on one trip - the most by any supermarket for the survey.
Overall, we made 231 store visits, with a total of 275 items not making it to the checkouts - the equivalent of one product in 29 missing from the shelf every trip. Only Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury and Waitrose bettered this industry average, which is staggering when our shoppers report instore initiatives by the multiples to alert staff to The Grocer 33 products.
Asda retained its crown as the UK’s best value supermarket with an average full basket price of £38.85. This was 1.5% cheaper than EDLP rival Morrisons, 1.65% lower than Tesco and 2.67% less than Sainsbury.
Our restyled Storewatch section gave a week-by-week overview of how each chain fared for price, availability, customer service and promotional activity.
Every week, store managers were featured in our ‘hall of fame’ as star performer of the week. Feedback from our mystery shoppers determined the winning manager, who was called to scrub up for a picture outside the top-performing store. Chris Tilly of Asda in Plymouth was the only manager to win the award twice.
Somerfield leads the race for this year’s best customer care with an 18% strike rate of Storewatch titles per visits to the chain. Morrisons is second with 16%, then Asda with 14%. Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose are level on 11%, the Co-op has 8% and Safeway lags behind on 3%.
Six robust categories - ambient; chilled/fresh; dairy; frozen; meat, fish and poultry; and household goods - were tracked over the period. At 17% Morrisons was worst for availability among the leading five retailers as we checked for 10 items in each category. Tesco and Sainsbury got it right 67% of the time. Asda and Safeway achieved better than 50% availability.
Asda pipped Morrisons and Tesco for the lowest nominal price of the basket of 10 products, followed by Sainsbury then Safeway.
Spotlight G33 shops at independent retailers such as Booths, Proudfoots and Roys of Wroxham proved not only can they match the multiples for quality, choice and service, but they can go head-to-head on price.
Last June The Grocer 33 weekly survey was overhauled to reflect changes in market trends,shopping habits and to take our survey to Northern Ireland for the first time.
But over the past six months our shopping basket has come back full less than half the time - despite the millions of pounds spent on technology by grocers to ensure on-shelf availability.
Morrisons was the clear leader for availability with a 75% strike rate over the period, followed by Waitrose on 61% and Asda with 57%. The rest fell below the industry average of 42%.
However, Asda was the only multiple to improve on its first-quarter availability, up 7% to 60%. The Co-operative Group was steady at 33% for both quarters. Perhaps the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the battle for Safeway distracted the others from their stock control. At Morrisons full basket availability fell 19% in the second quarter, while at its takeover target, Safeway, it fell 5%. Availability was down 10% at Sainsbury, 9% at Tesco and Waitrose and 8% at Somerfield.
Tesco averaged two missing items on every G33 visit, with just one full basket checked in for every four trips to the multiple. Its Bury St Edmunds store racked up nine out of stocks on one trip - the most by any supermarket for the survey.
Overall, we made 231 store visits, with a total of 275 items not making it to the checkouts - the equivalent of one product in 29 missing from the shelf every trip. Only Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury and Waitrose bettered this industry average, which is staggering when our shoppers report instore initiatives by the multiples to alert staff to The Grocer 33 products.
Asda retained its crown as the UK’s best value supermarket with an average full basket price of £38.85. This was 1.5% cheaper than EDLP rival Morrisons, 1.65% lower than Tesco and 2.67% less than Sainsbury.
Our restyled Storewatch section gave a week-by-week overview of how each chain fared for price, availability, customer service and promotional activity.
Every week, store managers were featured in our ‘hall of fame’ as star performer of the week. Feedback from our mystery shoppers determined the winning manager, who was called to scrub up for a picture outside the top-performing store. Chris Tilly of Asda in Plymouth was the only manager to win the award twice.
Somerfield leads the race for this year’s best customer care with an 18% strike rate of Storewatch titles per visits to the chain. Morrisons is second with 16%, then Asda with 14%. Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose are level on 11%, the Co-op has 8% and Safeway lags behind on 3%.
Six robust categories - ambient; chilled/fresh; dairy; frozen; meat, fish and poultry; and household goods - were tracked over the period. At 17% Morrisons was worst for availability among the leading five retailers as we checked for 10 items in each category. Tesco and Sainsbury got it right 67% of the time. Asda and Safeway achieved better than 50% availability.
Asda pipped Morrisons and Tesco for the lowest nominal price of the basket of 10 products, followed by Sainsbury then Safeway.
Spotlight G33 shops at independent retailers such as Booths, Proudfoots and Roys of Wroxham proved not only can they match the multiples for quality, choice and service, but they can go head-to-head on price.
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