Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Shoppers opting for 'more treat products' after cost-of-living squeeze

Shoppers opting for 'more treat products' after cost-of-living squeeze
iStock image

Consumers are buying more premium products amid early signs that confidence is improving after the cost-of-living squeeze, the boss of Waitrose has said.

James Bailey, Waitrose’s executive director, has stated that the supermarket was seeing evidence that “people are beginning to feel slightly more confident about their finances”.


“We’ve seen the signs that customers are beginning to trade back into some of the premium tiers – buying more brands, more treat products,” Bailey told the PA news agency.

He said that earlier in August, sales of its premium own-brand range were up about a fifth compared with the same week a year ago, in terms of volume. Other premium labels, such as its Duchy Organic food and drink products, were also selling better than last year, he added.

Bailey stressed that people were nevertheless “still looking for a bargain”, with an uptick in spending on promotional and discounted products.

Last week, Waitrose announced its expansion plans for the next five years, building on the Little Waitrose model and growing its currently 329-strong chain of shops. The new stores across Britain will be the group’s first openings in six years.

Bailey, who has been executive director since 2020, said while the convenience sector was a “very competitive space”, there was an opportunity to reach people looking for fresh food more frequently.

“For a variety of reasons, Waitrose is very under-represented,” he said, with about 50 Little Waitrose shops operating across the UK.

In comparison, Tesco, the country’s largest supermarket, has more than 2,000 Express stores while Sainsbury’s has more than 800 Local shops. Asda has also converted hundreds of sites into Express stores as part of ambitious growth plans.

Bailey said there was “headroom for an awful lot more” than 100 convenience stores, but that was Waitrose’s initial target. The supermarket group will be looking at high-traffic commuter places, such as train stations and city centres, as well as slightly bigger shops in market towns where there is demand for its products, he said.

The first new Waitrose store is due to open in Hampton Hill, south-west London, later this year, followed by another in the capital in early 2025.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less