Sainsbury’s boss: Brits don’t have time to bargain hunt with rivals
The chief executive of Sainsbury’s has said that customers are shunning the likes of Aldi and Lidl in favour of ‘Big Four’ grocers, as a return to the office and a resulting lack of time has left them unable to shop around for deals.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Simon Roberts said that the public is “short on time”.
He said: “Customers would have come to us for some products and they might have gone to one of the limited-choice discounters for others.”
“Now there’s a lot more on for people. There’s been this return to the office and, especially around Christmas, we’re all short of time.”
Roberts, who took over as head of the grocery chain during the pandemic , said that Sainsbury’s wide range of products compared to discounters has also left it at an advantage.
“We’re seeing customers doing trolleys with more products in more regularly. That’s quite a shift from where we were three years ago,” he added.
A squeeze on household finances following a period of high inflation drove many shoppers to the likes of Lidl and Aldi in a bid to cut down on costs.
The pair remain two of the fastest growing retailers in the UK, with sales up 17.3 per cent and 14.3 per cent respectively last month, according to a reading from NIQ.
However Sainsbury’s last month recorded its biggest increase in shopper numbers in a decade.
Sainsbury’s increased its share of the grocery market to 15.6pc at the end of November, up from 15.2pc the prior month, Kantar.
The company has also been bolstered by loyalty schemes, such as its Nectar Card program.
It comes as ‘Big Four’ grocery stores have had increasing pressure placed on them during the cost of living crisis to keep prices as low as possible for consumers, with all major supermarkets having introduced price cuts on products.
Earlier this year, supermarket bosses were also called to answer questions in parliament about whether or not they had exploited inflation by raising grocery prices.