Waitrose is to slash the price of more than 200 meat, vegetable, and organic products under the latest expansion of its new lower prices campaign.
The latest tranche, which was announced on 3 April, includes cuts to 64 ‘everyday essentials’ such as chicken breasts, potatoes and butter. For the first time, it has also explicitly focused on a wider range of ‘healthier’ products and organic produce.
It follows Waitrose executive director James Bailey telling The Grocer Waitrose would target more of its premium lines, including its Duchy Organic and No.1 ranges, as part of the ongoing expansion of the value campaign over the next few months.
Among the latest additions detailed by Waitrose are 1.5kg of Waitrose Duchy Organic Potatoes, which will fall by 18.8% from £2.35 to £1.95, and Waitrose Duchy Organic Turkey Breast, which will drop by 40p to £4 for 80g.
Other additions include: Waitrose Essential 8% Pork Fat Mince, which will drop by 6.8% to £2.75 for 500g; Waitrose Essential Spinach, which will now cost £1.55 down from £1.75, a drop of 11.4%; and Waitrose Essential Loose Leeks, which now cost £2.75 per kg, down from £2.95.
Forty per cent of the new products are classified under the Waitrose Good Health certification, a labelling system the supermarket uses to highlight products that are considered healthier. It includes, for example, products with low levels of saturated fat, higher levels of fibre or more wholegrains.
Prices will fall by 7% on average, and 10% on average for produce, Waitrose said.
“Our commitment to giving our customers great value for money continues with our latest investment in price,” said Waitrose commercial director Charlotte Di Cello.
“We are focusing on even more weekly shop staples as well as a large range of organic ingredients which our customers love.
“We continue to offer market-leading quality on our higher welfare products, such as chicken and outdoor-bred pork, alongside our best seasonal fruit and vegetables. As always, our quality won’t change but our prices will drop, allowing customers to enjoy great value with no compromise.
“As we approach the warmer months, seasonal produce will be in abundance, and with the addition of our ‘In Season’ section on Waitrose.com, customers can easily find our top-quality, seasonal products with a simple click.”
It means Waitrose has invested £130m in price cuts since February 2023, which has been spread across five separate tranches.
Bailey credited the initiative as a significant factor behind Waitrose’s improved performance in its annual results published in March. Sales grew by 5% to £7.7bn, with Waitrose attracting one million more customers through its stores, which in turn helped the John Lewis Partnership return to profit.
Sales were “constantly up 20%” across the 1,200 products included in Waitrose’s lower prices range, the supermarket said.
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