18 Shop Talk


esco has reported a slight improvement in its UK like-for-like sales performance for the three months to the end of May this year.


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Sales were down by 1.3% compared with a fall of 4% for the same time last year. Group sales for the 13 weeks to 30 May 2015 declined by 0.5% at constant rates, excluding fuel. At actual rates, sales declined by 1.0% excluding fuel. Chief executive Dave Lewis said: “Whilst the market is still challenging and volatility is likely to remain a feature of short-term performance, these first quarter results represent another step in the right direction.”


The Cooperative Food is ploughing millions of pounds into cutting the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables at its 2,800 stores nationwide. In an initiative announced in June, this latest investment will see some fresh produce prices halved and major discounts on more than 100 fresh produce lines. The move is part of a £125m price investment strategy which has lowered the cost of hundreds of items as the business seeks to be the UK’s number one convenience retailer and plays to consumers’ shift to buying little, often and local. In addition, the company is actively pursuing 100 new convenience stores and will carry out 255 store refits in 2015.


Booths, the family-run food and wine retailer based in the North West, has been named Independent Retailer of the Year at The Grocer


SHOP TALK


A round-up of supermarket news and gossip


Gold Awards. The company has more than 30 food and wine stores across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria. Chairman Edwin Booth said: “We’re delighted with this award, it’s a brilliant testament of the quality of our staff, our suppliers and our customers.”


Waitrose is offering its customers the opportunity to pick their own offers by enabling them to choose which products they would regularly like to save 20% on.


With the discount applicable both in store and online, the ‘Pick Your Own Offers’ scheme allows customers with a myWaitrose card to choose 10 items from a list of almost a thousand products, while still benefiting from the supermarket’s other offers and myWaitrose benefits.


Pick Your Own Offers will operate on top of Waitrose Brand Price Match, which will continue to match Tesco on branded products.


Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: “This is a ground-breaking move giving customers the power to choose the offers they want. “We know from the success of myWaitrose that customers like straightforward deals they can trust that are relevant to them. ‘Pick Your Own Offers’ goes one step further by putting them in control.”


Iceland Foods’ holding company, Iceland Topco, has released its results for the 52 weeks ending 27 March this year. Turnover was down by 0.5% to £2.697bn compared with £2.711bn for the same period in 2014.


Like-for-like sales over the period were down by 4.4%. 28 new stores opened in the UK and the Republic of


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Ireland during the period and a new store concept – Food Warehouse – was created and six stores opened.


A major programme of product innovation and rebranding is currently underway and up to 20 new stores are planned for the current year.


Sainsbury’s has announced changes to its board and operating board. John Rogers, chief financial officer, is expanding his role to include business development, while Helen Buck, who was previously responsible for this area, stepped down from the operating board on 31 July. In his expanded role, John will have responsibility for group strategy, Sainsbury’s online, Mobile by Sainsbury’s, Sainsbury’s Energy, Netto and new business, in addition to his existing responsibilities of finance, property, procurement, operational efficiency and Sainsbury’s Bank.


Ocado has opened a new 68,690ft2


delivery hub at Park


Royal in north west London, creating 205 new jobs. Based in Origin Business Park, the modern building has been designed to be Ocado’s most environmentally innovative property to date, with solar roof panels and rain water recycling, achieving an EPC rating of A. The firm says that


continuing expansion and the boom in online grocery shopping has fuelled the development of the new site, which is home to 100 new Mercedes vans.


In February, the company announced profits of £7m.


Visit ACR News online at www.acr-news.com


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