Strawberries and cream sales mark the start of Wimbledon

Waitrose trade update for week ending 27 June 2015, from finance director Tom Athron

Sales excluding fuel were 2.3% higher than last year, with particularly strong performances across outdoor ranges. We are also seeing a continued very positive customer reaction to our ‘Pick Your Own Offers’ scheme​.  The groundbreaking initiative lets myWaitrose members choose 10 products to save 20% on each time they shop, on top of our Brand Price Match commitment and all other promotions.

The start of Wimbledon this week has given many the appetite for strawberries and cream, with strawberry sales up by 15% last week and cream by 9% compared to the week before.

We also saw sales of sparkling wine and Champagne increase by 7%, and Pimm’s – one of our most reliable indicators of sunshine – increase b​y 25%​.

A very warm Saturday for much of the country led to strong sales of barbecue charcoal and gardening ranges, which were each up by 24% for the week.

We sold 65% more paper napkins and disposable cups and plates than the same week last year, as people planned trips outdoors.  Shoppers also bought 17% more bread rolls in preparation for barbecues and picnics, and 12% more hand held ice creams.

Our sun lotion sales were up by 27% for the week, and after sun sales were 43% higher.

Our ‘food to go’ ranges performed well, as many people chose to buy something quick while out enjoy​ing ​the we​ather.  The entire range was up by 10%, with salads proving particularly popular, at 21% higher than last year​.​