Waitrose & Partners news

Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl are the latest to launch their Christmas adverts, taking light-hearted approaches to bringing seasonal cheer to shoppers. Tesco Tesco takes a fun approach with its Christmas advert this year. Acknowledging how we've all done something that earns us a place on the naughty list (even Santa), in a year like no other, everyone deserves a treat this festive season. A ...

Following news of Sainsbury's counter closures , Waitrose has committed to the long-term future of its own food service counters in-store. Point of difference in-store and online Waitrose highlighted how keeping its counters open through COVID-19, as well as adding new lines since the spring, is a point of difference from competitors. The retailer remains committed to training speciali...

Market growth in the 12 weeks to November 1st slowed slightly to 9.3%, from 9.4% in the previous reporting period, according to the latest Kantar results. We look at key retailers' sales growth and market share in more detail, including standout performances from Iceland, Lidl, Morrisons and Waitrose, who all grew above the market. Panic buying has not returned to levels seen before the first ...

The Partnership announced plans to further simplify its structure, reducing the size of its head office operations by up to 1,500 by April 2021, helping save a further £50m towards its cost-saving target. CFO steps down At the same time, the business announced CFO Patrick Lewis will be leaving the business after 26 years' service. Lewis will be replaced by Bérangère Michel, currently execut...

Waitrose launches its latest price cuts on everyday purchases. New lower prices offer "affordable quality" More than 200 everyday products are included in the campaign, with a strong emphasis on the essentials entry tier private label range, which Waitrose reports has experienced a double digit sales boost since lockdown. Only a handful of branded products are included in the activity. T...

We take a look a detailed look at the updated Waitrose and John Lewis strategy plan.  Recover profits and accelerate change JLP is targeting reaching £200m profit by year two and £400m by year five. The plan is split into two time phases; Years 1-2: recover profit and lay foundations for growth Years 3-5: accelerate change, reshape and grow The Partnership is investing £1bn in...

In the 12 weeks ending 4th October market growth was +9.4%, according to Kantar, the first time we have seen it drop from double digits since April. In this article we explore the growth in more detail, leading retailers' performance, and highlight key pieces of content you may have missed in September and October. Changing restrictions once again impact behaviour Despite the overall drop f...

Ahead of Waitrose's strategy update on Friday, we round up the grocer's latest news. New value-focused promotional campaign The new "Priced to the Pound" campaign focuses on round pound pricing demonstrating simple value for shoppers. Over 120 branded products in ambient grocery and non-food categories are showcased in the promotion. Food & grocery director leaves the business Accordi...

As Christmas products are starting to hit the shelves, retailers and suppliers are hopeful that despite conditions, shoppers will be looking for little luxuries at the end of the year. We explore six themes for Christmas this year and what retailers are doing to help create an exciting festive season. More time spent at home With concerns about the virus, people will be spending more time a...

Waitrose's revenue grew 8.3% to £3.4bn in the first half of the year to 25th July 2020, alongside double digit profit growth. However, John Lewis' negative sales and profit performance continue to have a dilutive impact on the Partnership's results. Robust grocery performance Waitrose's like-for-like sales rose 9.6%, whilst the retailer also reported a healthy trading profit improvement of ...