Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
The annual Waitrose food & drink report suggests that even though we are now permitted to socialise, much of the country is sticking with a stay-at-home lifestyle, including barbecues and dinner parties, rather than going out.
James Bailey, Waitrose executive director, said: “The majority of the people we surveyed told us the pandemic has fundamentally changed their outlook: they’re more conscious of their mental and physical health, they’re enjoying life’s simple pleasures, and they’ve embraced the importance of family and friends.”
Sales analysis by the supermarket has identified the products that have sold more – or less – as the pandemic progressed.
These included:
- canned fish- sales of mackerel and anchovies rose by 17% in August 2021
- nostalgic desserts- knickerbocker glory recipe searches on waitrose.com are up 171% this year
- sales of herbs and spices rose 41% this year with specialty salts proving to be the top performers
- sushi- sales rose 54% while sales of sushi mats were up 57% and nori sales were up 56%
The drinks that dominated our drinks cabinets included:
- cream liqueurs have become popular all year round (not just for Christmas)
- sales of Champagne are up 40% year on year, while sales of magnums and bigger bottles are up 88%
- rosé wine continues to dominate our wine shelves and sales of rosé fizz are up 47%
Products that we took off our shopping list include:
- Sales of ironing water fell by one-fifth
- Tights sales are down 31% compared to 2019
- Sales of sandwiches fell by 45% between January and March compared to 2020
