Sales of Fairtrade products have bucked the recession in the UK, rising by 40% and topping the GBP 1 billion mark for the first time.As it launched Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Foundation reported that sales of Fairtrade products rose by 40% in 2010 to an estimated retail value of GBP1.17bn. The organisation said it demonstrated that UK shoppers are continuing to show their ethical values despite the tough times. “It is fantastic to break the first billion,” Fairtrade Foundation... ...Read more »

UK grocery operator Waitrose has ended its contract with a duck farm accused of animal cruelty. Allegations emerged yesterday (8 February) that workers at Hall Farm picked up ducks by their necks and swung them before throwing them into the flock. A Sky News investigation also discovered sick and injured birds as well as dead birds which had been left to rot among the flock. Hall Farm is contracted to Green Label Farms, which operates Gressingham Foods’ poultry operations. Green Label Farms... ...Read more »

Drinkers are in the pink when it comes to choosing a tipple, latest Waitrose data shows.Rosé-coloured wine, liqueurs and even port are all the rage in the UK this festive season – despite the chilly weather. Pink drinks are no longer just for hot summer days as rosé wine and colourful cocktails are increasingly drunk at home during the winter, according to Waitrose. Sales of rosé wine at the supermarket have surged 20% so far this year compared to the same period of 2009. Waitrose Wine... ...Read more »

Waitrose is reportedly in talks with US retailers to sell its Duchy Originals range in US stores following its recent revamp of the label founded by Prince Charles. The Financial Times reported that the chain is speaking to North American retailers and distributors about selling the range and hopes to have a selection of products in US outlets next spring. The retailer relaunched the Duchy Originals brand in early August, after it signed a licensing deal with the brand a year ago to become its sole... ...Read more »

Once strictly the domain of a ploughman’s lunch, beetroot is now also a colourful addition to the breakfast table. Sales of beetroot juice at UK retailer Waitrose have shot up with demand for the purple-hued drink rising by 82 per cent in the past year. This sharp rise in popularity is outpacing the growth in sales of orange juice and other more traditional juices.And it’s not just beetroot juice that Britons are stocking up on. The vegetable itself is fast becoming a culinary staple.... ...Read more »

UK grocery retailer Sainsbury’s will roll out their “eco-friendly” milk bags and jugs across their milk range, after a successful trial of 2% fat milk bags, which sold at double the expected rate. Sainsbury’s said that milk is one of their biggest selling lines. Shoppers are now buying 120,000 semi-skimmed milk bags per week – 10% of two-pint (.94 litre) semi-skimmed units sold. Sainsbury’s said they expect this figure to double following the expansion, and that... ...Read more »

Waitrose has moved into the mobile space with the launch of its first ever iPhone app and mobile website.The app and channel have been designed in response to more and more users accessing Waitrose.com through their mobile devices and demand for easier access to the Waitrose brand through digital channels. They will build on the retailer’s existing successful online presence and help broaden the reach of the food chain’s Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal partnership1. Both the iPhone... ...Read more »

UK supermarket chain Waitrose is planning a sixfold increase in the number of stores that stock its food products, and is aiming to nearly double the number of outlets it operates within five years. According to reports in The Sunday Telegraph, partnerships with Boots outlets, Shell filling stations and Welcome Break could take the UK retailer’s products into 1,000 more outlets. Managing director Mark Price said: “There’s the potential to add 220 more Waitrose shops and probably... ...Read more »

UK supermarket chain Waitrose has unveiled their stock of the latest new fruit for the UK summer – the pineberry. This striking white strawberry variety is described as having a “highly aromatic smell – more akin to a pineapple”.  The first varieties originated in South America, where white strawberries were common. The fruit came near to extinction, but was revived and commercialised over six years by Dutch breeders, now marketed by European soft fruit specialist group VitalBerry. Waitrose... ...Read more »

Waitrose has announced that it will open its first smaller format convenience store this summer as part of its plans to increase its presence in the UK’s convenience sector.The first of the new format stores, which will offer shops with sales areas ranging from 2,000-4,000 sqft, will open in Fitzroy Street, Cambridge in early summer and create up to 40 new jobs. It will be the first of four initial trials of the format planned for this year and will become the first Waitrose shop in its core... ...Read more »