Sainsbury's has today announced that they have rebranded their
budget lines range and expanded it by 20 items. While this sounds
good for consumers there is no mention of the smaller stores
which we know don't tend to stock these items anyway so those on
the lowest incomes will continue to miss out.
Rocio Concha, Which?
Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
“It's good to see Sainsbury's focussing their intentions on
expanding their budget range, however the grocer has hundreds of
smaller Local branches and people on low incomes who rely on
those stores will want to know if they will have access to this
new budget range. Which? research has shown that essential range
items are rarely, if ever, stocked in these convenience
stores.
“All supermarkets should make it easier for people by urgently
committing to stocking essential budget ranges in all their
stores, particularly in areas where people are most in need.
Clearer pricing is also vital in enabling shoppers to compare
prices and find the best value products.”
ENDS
SAINSBURY'S PR FOR REF
Great value has a new address as Sainsbury’s moves all its entry
price point brands to Stamford Street. Named after the previous
home of Sainsbury’s, the brand will celebrate Sainsbury’s
heritage of quality and value by helping customers more easily
find everyday staples at budget-friendly prices.
Two thirds of customers say they are concerned about the rising
cost of groceries as inflation continues to bite and own brand
ranges are increasingly popular as shoppers look for ways to cut
back on spending. In the last three months alone, Sainsbury’s
volume sales of own brand value products have grown by nearly
10%1. This is why it is doing all it can to keep prices low and
investing to refresh its value range, making it easier for
customers to find fantastic prices on the staples they buy week
in, week out.
The Stamford Street range will consist of around 200 products and
has already started hitting shelves, with products rolling out
between now and Autumn. Customers will still be able to shop
their favourite staples as all products from the original ranges
including Mary Ann’s and J. James will be converted across. More
than 20 new high-volume products have also been added to the
range, including Soft Spread (99p), Beef & Onion pie (£2.90)
and Cheese Tortelloni (£1.21)*.
Stamford Street in London’s Blackfriars was the home of
Sainsbury’s for over a century and the new branding reflects its
commitment to combining the best possible quality with great
value. To make it even easier to find the range, it features
brand new packaging to give it a refreshed and distinctive look
and feel. Products will also be grouped together on shelves and
dedicated signage in stores, as well as a custom page on the
website, will be set up. Sainsbury’s brilliant colleagues will of
course also be on hand to help customers find what they’re
looking for.
The launch is just one of the ways Sainsbury’s is continuing to
help customers manage their budgets as summer approaches,
following its record investment of more than £560 million in
value over the last two years. It coincides with the latest
instalment of the popular Aldi Price Match campaign which hit
stores this week. A quarter of the products in the Stamford
Street range are included in the campaign, which matches around
300 Sainsbury’s quality products to Aldi prices. New products
have been added to the campaign including canned tuna, which has
been reduced in price to 72p per tin. This week Sainsbury’s
announced its move to 100% MSC certified pole and line caught
canned tuna and it is the first of the big four supermarkets to
do this.
Sainsbury’s customers can also save money on their favourite
branded products following the recent launch of Nectar Prices,
which offers discounts to all supermarket and online customers
using the Nectar app or card. It is already exceeding
expectations and customers have saved over £34 million across
discounts on over 1,300 products since launch.
Rhian Bartlett, Food Commercial Director at Sainsbury’s,
said: “Our own brand products are becoming more and more
important to our customers as the cost of living crisis continues
to impact so many households up and down the country. This is why
we’ve worked to consolidate and rebrand the Stamford Street range
to help our customers more easily find it in stores and online.
Offering customers delicious food at affordable prices has been
at the heart of Sainsbury’s for over 150 years and this is why
I’m so proud to see these products now on shelves.”
* Prices correct as of 26 May 2023.
1 NIQ Homescan Panel data - Volume % growth vs LY - 12wks
ending 29 April 23
