Sainsbury’s grapes took the number three position in sales over the Christmas week, beaten only by Baileys and Stella, the retailer claimed.
The impressive results during the Christmas trading week is being attributed to the introduction of new zip-lock packaging across the loose grape range.
Theresa Huxley, product technologist, said: “The introduction of the bags has been a success all round.”
She said the new packaging replaces the old style bag, which was sealed by peeling a piece of paper from a sticky strip. The retailer had been looking for a more efficient solution for some time, she added.
“Our growers all over the world were keen to find a more efficient packaging solution. The bags used to be slow to pack, left strips of paper as waste and were never really sealed properly.
“Grapes tended to fall out as the packs were handled and the displays often looked untidy. There was also a risk that loose berries might fall onto the floor and cause a customer to slip.”
The zip-lock bags were trialled last year and Huxley said the displays looked neater, waste decreased and customers did not consider the zip to be “over-packaging”.
“The cost of manufacture has come down significantly in recent months and the zip-lock bags are being introduced at roughly neutral cost to growers.
“The slight premium is outweighed by the increased efficiency in packing, as they can be packed in one movement with no waste post-packing.”
