Waitrose became the first UK supermarket to sell new grapefruit variety Jackson last week.
The South African-grown fruit is a sweet, white variety that is commercially available for the first time this year.
It features under the upmarket retailer’s Limited Selection brand and will appear in 68 stores for the next two weeks.
The launch follows three years of work between Waitrose and South African citrus fruit marketer Komati Fruit.
Nielsen data shows that Waitrose’s year-on-year growth in the grapefruit category in the last 12 weeks is almost 26 per cent, which places it 40 per cent ahead of the UK market.
A twin-pack of Jackson is priced at £1.29.
Waitrose citrus fruit buyer Jane Goodson said: “July marks the beginning of the main South African grapefruit season. The perfect way for Waitrose to kick-start this season is to debut an alternative variety to help revive the fortunes of this fruit.
“Since Waitrose has a strong grapefruit market share, we believe we are in a perfect position to promote this new variety.”
Waitrose fresh produce development manager David Northcroft said: “The sweet white grapefruit has a unique taste as it has a lower naringin level, which is what controls the bitterness of a normal grapefruit.”
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