Waitrose feasts on record sales in Jubilee week
DEMAND for British favourites such as scotch eggs, sausage rolls and ales to wash down street party festivities helped Waitrose serve up record-breaking sales in the run-up to the Diamond Jubilee.
Sales surged 19.8 per cent in the week to Saturday 2 June to a total of £123m, Waitrose’s highest ever trading week with the exception of Christmas and Easter.
The upmarket supermarket chain said the Jubilee celebrations were the main driver, but a 25 per cent discount offer on wine and champagne also helped buoy its performance.
Sales excluding wine were up 18.1 per cent on last year.
Managing director Mark Price said the prospect of a long weekend had spurred shoppers into action.
“Many people clearly welcomed having a great reason to step away from day-to-day budgeting to stock up on fabulous food and drink for Jubilee parties and entertaining.”
Sales of Melton Mowbray pork pies, scotch eggs and sausage rolls were all up by 76 per cent while trifle, the quintessential British dessert, also proved popular, with sales up by 28 per cent.
Cider and British ale saw an uplift of 70 per cent and 25 per cent respectively while English wine had its biggest week on record with sales up 96 per cent.
Meanwhile rival Sainbury’s tweeted it had sold 670,000 Union Jack flags – enough to cover Wembley pitch 30 times – and 550 miles of bunting.
The grocer said revellers also snapped up 3.3m Jubilee-themed napkins – equivalent to one in 20 of the UK population – and 58,000 masks of Prince Philip and the Queen.