Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy,
said:
“Many people struggling with the cost of living crisis rely on
smaller convenience store branches of supermarkets to do their
grocery shopping, but Which? research earlier this year exposed
how these shops were rarely, if ever, stocking the cheapest
budget range products.
“Which? has been asking the supermarkets to change their approach
and put a range of essential budget products in convenience
stores, prioritising areas with the greatest need. It's good to
see Sainsbury's recognising the difficulties many of its
customers are facing and following Morrisons with this commitment
to put more of its cheapest budget range products in smaller
stores.
“We look forward to seeing these changes take effect and
encourage all supermarkets to do all they can to ensure the
cheapest budget ranges are available in parts of the country we
have identified as most in need of help with affordable
food.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Which? Affordable
Food For All Campaign
GROCER COPY
Sainsbury’s has doubled the number of its cheapest
own-label products stocked in its Local convenience stores over
the past year.
The lineup of products stocked by major supermarkets in their
convenience stores has come under increased scrutiny during the
cost of living crisis, with consumer groups – most notably Which?
– criticising supermarkets for not stocking any or enough
value-tier products in their smaller format stores.
The CMA also identified “higher priced” convenience stores as one
area where retailers could do more to help customers access lower
prices during the first stage of its probe into competition
within the grocery sector earlier this year.
In response, Sainsbury’s had been working to increase the number
of cheaper products available in its Local stores, the
supermarket’s CEO Simon Roberts told The Telegraph. It had added
“many” from its Aldi Price Match and “doubled” the number from
its Stamford Street entry-tier own label – which was relaunched
in May – Roberts said.
The Grocer understands that Sainsbury’s now stocks Stamford
Street Products in roughly half of its more than 800 Local
stores. It includes cupboard essentials like chopped tomatoes,
but also fairy cakes and “lunch box fillers”.
The retailer has also added 200 products from its core By
Sainsbury’s own-label range as part of the move. The exact lineup
and type of product depends on the location of the store.
Read more: A convenience grocery price war is bubbling up
The move brings Sainsbury’s in line with Tesco, which began a
programme to replace more than 50 “everyday products” stocked in
its convenience stores, and Morrisons, which began adding
products from its Savers range to its Morrisons Daily stores in
July.
Sainsbury’s has not confirmed whether it plans to increase the
number of value products stocked in its Local stores. Roberts
also ruled out the immediate prospect of introducing its Nectar
Prices loyalty scheme into Local stores.
“We’ve put more of those value items in those stores and
customers prefer that because, at the end of the day, you’re
going to a convenience store for a top-up. Whereas in a larger
store, you’re going to get more of the items you need for the
next few days or the next week,” Roberts said.
“Nectar comes into its own when you’re buying lots of products,”
he added.
The addition of cheaper lines follows the launch of a wider
marketing campaign across Sainsbury’s Local Stores. The ‘Pocket
Friendly Prices’ campaign saw the rollout of shelf labels, PoS
signs and ceiling banners into Sainsbury’s Local stores, with the
aim of highlighting which products were the lowest priced.
