Waitrose claims it will add a record number of new products to its £1 billion Essentials range during 2013, including new lines of fruit and vegetables.
Around 400 new everyday shopping items will be added to the budget own-brand range, while the retailer says that 700 of its products will be new or improved throughout the year.
Waitrose's essential range now represents 18 per cent of the upmarket retailer's sales. In the latest retail data from Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 weeks to 14 April, Waitroseachieved its highest-ever market share of 4.9 per cent, up 0.4 percentage points from the same period last year,from a strong rate of growth of 12 per cent. Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, said that the retailer is 'striking the right balance' between luxury and budget products with the supermarket chain offering more than 1,000 promotions on products every week.
Waitrose marketing director Rupert Thomas added: “When we launched Essentials four years ago we set out to offer the quality our customers expect from us with the reassurance of Waitrose values at affordable prices.
'The success of the range has been overwhelming; 79 per cent of shoppers now add an Essential Waitrose product to their basket when shopping with us. We will continue to grow the range in existing and new product categories, underlining our promise to offer customers the best value without ever compromising on quality.”
