Sales Growth At British Supermarkets Slows
A new report issued by market research firm Kantar Worldpanel suggests that growth in sales at leading British supermarket chains slowed down to their lowest level in nearly two years.
The pace of growth in the market slowed to 5 per cent during the quarter ending February 21st, compared with 5.2 per cent in the preceding quarter.
A spokesperson for the research firm says the slow down in growth could be as a result of price cuts and price wars undertaken by many retailers. Some analysts suggests however that customer loyalty may be declining as a result of the economic downturn.
Asda was the leading beneficiary in February, after having seen declines in January. The retailer engaged in an aggressive marketing campaign which produced sales growth of 3.3 per cent during February compared with 2,1 per cent in January.
Despite the increase, Asda’s market share has fallen to 17 per cent from 17.2 per cent as perennial rival Tesco gained at its expense, increasing its market share by 0.3 per cent to 30.4 per cent of the total market after aggressively cutting its prices.
Some analysts have expressed concern at the performance of Sainsbury’s, whom many believe lags the traditional market leaders Tesco and Asda.
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Retailers Heavily Criticised For Selling Cheap Booze
Supermarket chain Iceland has come in for heavy criticism for selling cider bottles which contain more than the recommended alcohol allowance for an entire week for just £2.75.
Iceland, which began selling Frosty Jack’s, a cider that contains 22.5 units of alcohol, has come in for heavy criticism by nearly every quarter. Doctors, ministers, crime victims and police chiefs have all voiced criticism over the decision which some have labelled as being ‘deplorable and highly irresponsible’.
Frosty Jack’s is cheaper than a pint down at the pub, and offers drinkers an extremely cheap way to get drunk.
Iceland is not the only retailer to make the cider available with Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all heavily criticised for cutting the price of booze such as wine, beer and spirits, which are more often than not, sold extremely cheaply.
Critics in particular have singled out Frosty Jack’s, which they say targets younger drinkers, who can purchase the cider using merely pocket money. The cider which has 7.5 per cent alcohol content, works out to cost 12p per unit.
Iceland has responded by saying that it has only followed the lead set by other retailers. Iceland says it has also reduced the maximum amount of alcohol customers can buy at any one time to 36 litres.
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Asda Direct Great Deal On Offer For Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Game And NJoy Balance Board Accessory
Asda Direct has a fantastic deal on the moment for a Nintendo Wii bundle at the fabulously low price of just £67, which is probably the lowest price you could possibly get for a bundle such as this anywhere in the online or off line world.
The bundle includes the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus, which is a game for the Nintendo Wii, and comes with a branded NJoy balance board accessory. Two items for the bargain basement price of just £67.
The balance board accessory is designed to work specially for use with the Nintendo Wii. The accessory has the ability to measure the player’s weight and balance, and lets the users body movement act as the control for the interface of the game.
The device can be used to measure the player’s performance during the exercise routine and calculate the BMI, and Wii Fit Age, which means players can set targets for weight loss or gain, which changes BMI.
It’s a great deal, and a fun way for the kids to get some much needed exercise in at an extremely low cost, so hurry now and make sure you make your child’s day with Wii-Fit Plus Bundle and branded NJoy balance board accessory.
Click Here To Buy Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Bundle From Asda Direct
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Sainsbury’s Offering Fabulous Voucher Code Discounts On Home Appliances- Offer Valid Until 7th March
Sainsbury’s has a few great voucher codes, allowing you to be able to purchase home appliances at great prices with hefty discounts. The voucher codes are available on all appliances and offer great deals, but won’t last forever so hurry now, and get your discount in today.
- Enter Voucher Code S4TN-ZJEA-8NMP At Checkout And Receive £10 Off Any Purchase Worth £150
- Enter Voucher Code NTMF-PST5-MBRB At Checkout And Receive £20 Off Any Purchase Worth £250
- Enter Voucher Code RU9S-JB24-7PJJ At Checkout And Receive £30 Off Any Purchase Worth £400
- Enter Voucher Code 3KFQ-MTQU-GLZG At Checkout And Receive £40 Off Any Purchase Worth £500
- Offer Valid From Between 3rd March To 7th March 2010
Click Here To Buy Appliances Online From Sainsbury’s
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Asda Mother’s Day Gifts
Asda has some terrific mother’s day gift ideas this year, and is offering some fabulous discounts on gifts that are sure to bring a smile to your mum’s face this March. Hurry now though because the offer and the voucher codes are for a limited time only:
Jewellery:
- 9ct Satin Gold Mum Locket was £35.00 Now £28.00
- 9ct Gold Diamond Set Mum Pendant was £50.00 Now £40.00
- 9ct Cubic Zirconia Set ‘Mum’ Pendant was £40.00 Now £32.00
- Diamond Set Sterling Silver Earrings Was £50.00 Now £40.00
- Diamond Set Sterling Silver Pendant Was £30.00 Now £19.00
- Silver Heart Bangle Was £20.00 Now £15.00
Flowers:
- Supersize a Mothers Day bouquet before the 5th March for only £2 – normal price £5
- Order any courier Mothers Day Bouquet up to the 9th March and receive a free Sunflower Grow Kit
- All Flowers from Asda include delivery – so the price you see is the price you pay – no hidden charges!
- Selected bouquet are available with a “Make over offer for 2″
Click Here To Buy Mother’s Day Flowers From Asda
Photo:
33% off all photo books promo code 33photo
33% off all acrylics promo code 33acrylic
33% off all canvases promo code 33canvas
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Tesco Starts Selling World’s Sweetest Tomato
Supermarket chain Tesco is stocking a new variety of tomato, which it says tastes as sweet as a peach.
The new variety, known as Sugardrop was developed by the retail giant to cater to sweet toothed customers and indeed anyone who finds that taste of ordinary tomatoes to sharp for their liking, in particular children.
Tesco describes the new variety as the sweetest tomato ever, The Spanish grown Sugardrop is in fact a hybrid of two different varieties of tomatoes, containing approximately three times the amount of natural sugar as regular tomatoes as well as half the daily recommended dose of vitamin C.
A Tesco spokesperson said that the process of creating the new variety required two years of cross breeding amongst 3,000 varieties.
“A few years ago we sat down with our suppliers and asked them to find us a high quality tomato that would appeal to gourmets with a sweet tooth,” she said.
“It was the beginning of major research that involved our growers contacting all the major seed houses in the world in order to find varieties that they could cross pollinate to find a tomato with higher than normal sugar levels.”
“The result is the Sugardrop which is the sweetest tomato there has ever been and now this week UK shoppers will be the first to try it.”
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Shoppers Should Check Salt Content When Buying “Free From” Products
A lot of dairy free, wheat and gluten products available on supermarket store shelves have been shown to contain high salt levels, according to new research publish by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
CASH, established to promote awareness of the damage that results from excessive salt intake, studied 71 own label products from five UK supermarket chains which are labelled as “free from” and found that over 50 per cent contain larger amounts of salt than standard versions of the product that were also being sold by retailers.
Some of the products tested possessed more than six times the salt levels as standard product comparables, with a third of products tested being found to contain lower levels of salt.
All five supermarket chains that were tested, stocked products, some of which were labelled as ‘free from’ that contained higher levels of salt than standard versions of the product.
Products which fared worse than their standard products counterparts include, Sainsbury’s Free From Jaffa Cakes, Morrisons’ Free From Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Products which contain high levels of salt pose risks of heart disease, since salt consumption is linked to high blood pressure.
Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH, said: “In general, it has been the supermarket own-label products that have led the way in salt reduction, but it seems that own-label products for people with existing health problems have not been a top priority for the retailers.”
“They must now reformulate the higher-salt products immediately, so that people suffering from Coeliac disease or other related conditions do not have to put their health in further jeopardy.”
The British Heart Foundation says the salt levels found in basic food items such as bread, that are eaten on a daily basis, was a cause for concern.
A spokeswoman for the British Nutrition Foundation said: “The advice for people selecting ‘free from’ foods is the same as for other consumers buying any foods – check the labels. Be savvy about what you buy.
Mr. Macgregor added that the recommended daily maximum salt consumption limit is 6 grams a day.
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Tesco Doubles Polish Food Product Range
UK retailer Tesco has doubled its Polish food product range from 119 products to 211, as the supermarket responds to increasing demand. The increase in product range marks the first rise in sales since the products were first stocked in September 2006.
A probable influx of Polish immigrants into the UK has resulted in Polish food sales rising by 15 per cent from a year earlier. The supermarket giant had initially cut back on its Polish product range, after witnessing a 23 per cent annual decline in demand.
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Mother’s Day Gift From Asda Flowers And Asda Direct
Mother’s day this year is on March 14th and trying to sort that special gift to show your mum just how much you love her on Mother’s Day is always hard. Fortunately you have Asda you can depend on.
Though it might sound a little clichéd, but saying how much you appreciate or love mum using flowers never fails, and Asda has a ton of gift ideas for this year’s mother’s day, with bouquets starting from as little as £10 (though most start from about £20).
Click Here To Buy Mother’s Day Flowers Online From Asda
Asda is also offering personalised Mother’s day cards, which are sure to bring a smile to your mum’s face.
Click Here To Buy Mother’s Day Cards Online From Asda
And if none of those ideas takes your fancy, then Asda Direct has a ton of gift ideas for this Mothers Day that are really worth taking a look at, everything from jewellery items to personal care products, so take a look.
Click Here To Buy Mother’s Day Gifts Online From Asda Direct
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Sainsbury’s To Establish Home Energy Centres For Sales Of Energy Efficient Products
UK retailer Sainsbury’s is set to become the first supermarket chain to offer its shoppers the chance to buy renewable energy products.
Sainsbury’s in a joint effort with energy company EDF Energy says it plans to open three new concessions known as Home Energy Centres (HEC’s) at its retail outlets in Kidderminster, Leicester and Camberley.
The Home Energy Centres will behave as showrooms, and provide shoppers with information and advice, as well as a number of energy saving and renewable energy products such as solar panels, insulation and air source heat pumps.
Customers visiting an HEC will also have the ability to sign up for a new electricity or has deal, and staff members will help customers to apply for government subsidies to fund making energy efficient improvements to their homes.
The retailer says the centres have been established to act as a complement to its national sales line, where consumers nationally can order products from the retailer, and have them delivered and installed by an EDF Energy professional.
Sainsbury’s commercial manager Adam Zeiderman said: “There are lots of people who want to invest in renewable energy products but they don’t know how or where to start. We use some of these products in many of our stores, and now we’re making it easier for people to use them in their own homes.”
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