Marlborough’s Waitrose hits a record 5.5 per cent sales rise to celebrate its best ever Christmas

Waitrose, the magnet that makes Marlborough’s High Street a hit, had a record-breaking Christmas and New Year with sales up 5.5 per cent to create its best ever results.

And as it celebrated its success with a footfall rising to 30,000 customers a week, the super supermarket issued its own warning of food inflation in a tough year ahead and revealed how it is tackling worrying food waste.

Sunday, December 22, when shopping was confined to only six hours trading, provided the store’s peak performance for Andy Davies, Waitrose’s ebullient manager for the past five years.

“Within two hours that day we reached the same sales figures that we have on a normal Sunday – and that was incredible,” he told Marlborough News Online. “What a hectic time it was – and what a real buzz and really good Christmas feeling there was as customers had finished work and were out to treat themselves.

“This has been a best Christmas. Certainly it was from the figures with sales up nearly six per cent.  Better still, we didn’t have snow, the weather was mild, and the supply chain was good throughout.  I got exactly what I wanted – and when I wanted it, which is so important when there are a massive number of things that can go wrong.”

And on Thursday Waitrose’s managing director Mark Field made an unannounced visit to the supermarket to congratulate Andy and his team of up to 250 staff.

“He normally visits us once a year,” said Andy.  “He was here for about an hour and went round congratulating our people and was very complimentary about the store and our achievements.”

“And it was a great opportunity for me to talk to him.  We had other Waitrose managers here talking about Christmas and discussing the challenges we face in the year ahead.  Then suddenly I heard Mark was here and in the store.”

We charge a premium price only for premium products Statistics for the core period December 18 to 31 at the Marlborough supermarket showed like for like sales up 5.5 per cent on last year. “If you think about Tesco’s 1.8 per cent up, Sainsbury’s 0.9 per cent rise, Morrisons down 2.5 per cent and M&S down too, then that is really good,” said Andy Davies. “When we’re dealing now with 25,000 to 30,000 customers a week going through the tills, that is significant for our little Marlborough store. “More and more people came to us at Christmas because we have changed – our everyday products like a bottle of Fairy Liquid are brand matched with Tesco and people like to see too the work we have been doing supporting the community. “They’re saying, ‘I quite like this,’ and are heading straight for us. “What we charge a premium price for is our premium products. That’s because there is a clear difference between our poultry and meat, but we are no more expensive on day to day products and our own label essential range.”

 

What is clear is the lead Mark Price and his managers have taken in revealing the need to tackle food waste and the challenge of food security caused by changing climates and inevitable food inflation.

Marlborough Waitrose has linked up with Greatwood, the charity for retired racehorses at Clench Common, and supplies it with produce passed its sell-by date.

“So their animals are now dining on our parsnips,” said Andy. “It has been a mission for me as a retailer, as a grocer, to reduce the amount of stuff that is thrown away.  We are delighted with the link.”

Then there is a double dilemma of food production in changing climates and the economic pressures resulting in rising food prices. “They are the two big things that will have an impact,” says Andy.

“Poor weather conditions are going to see higher prices coming through from farms and, whereas we can as retailers cushion some of that, we can’t cushion it all.  That is the challenge we are all going to face.”

He takes relief from the bouquets of customers.

“We get plenty of plaudits, customers making a real effort to tell us what a great tem we have and how really pleased they were with what we did to create a happy Christmas and New Year for them.”