Sainsbury’s is expecting a good Christmas when it comes to fresh produce.

Russell Crowe, senior buyer, said sales had looked very good in the lead up to Christmas week.

“On the veg side, we are trading about 10 per cent up on Brussels sprouts and the sprout tree we introduced to the market five years ago has shown a sales growth of more than 40 per cent.

“Generally, our Christmas offer is excellent value and the key promotion on veg is 50 per cent extra free.”

He said this promotion is well underway on parsnips, carrots, sprouts and Maris Piper potatoes.

“In addition to this, we have a number of prepared lines on 50 per cent extra free and 33 per cent free offer, as well as multibuys, including broccoli, buy one get one half price.

“On salads we also have some great deals with 400g cherry tomatoes on 25 per cent extra free and Taste the Difference red Ramiro peppers on 50 per cent extra free.”

Fruit is also on offer, with a bogof on pineapples, two for £2 on packs of satsumas and clementines

“Fresh cranberries are trading 35 per cent up year-on-year, due to better store availability and new packaging. Poinsettia sales are also up 20 per cent on last year. Organic produce is showing excellent sales growth as well with veg up 14 per cent and fruit up 11 per cent on last year.”

He said the retailer has also been lowering price on a wide number of lines compared with last Christmas.

“We believe that our offer this Christmas targets the 'family eating' sector, which is what the season is all about.

“In summary things are looking good so far, we have some excellent promotions that offer really great value, with no compromise on quality, and have reduced our retails on many lines in produce versus last year.”

Topics