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Waitrose results - Local Economies
- Indicator 4.1
- Indicator 4.2
- Indicator 4.3
- Overall commentary and examples of good practice
- Supermarket comments
Indicator 4.1
Issue: Support for the local economy
Indicator: Company policy on sourcing food 'locally'and 'locality' foods
No data submitted.
Indicator 4.2
Issue: Support for the local economy
Indicator: Local and regional sourcing and promotion
No data submitted.
Indicator 4.3
Issue: Support for the local economy
Indicator: Company policy on sourcing food 'locally' and 'locality' foods – store shelf survey
A store shelf survey of local and locality foods stocked by retailers - focusing on apples, potatoes, fresh milk, pre-packed cheese, fresh beef and fresh lamb - was conducted by Sustain and the NFWI. The final survey sample for Waitrose consisted of just 4 stores. This sample was smaller than desired, and had a more limited geographical coverage than desired, thereby reducing the extent to which the store survey findings can be taken as representative of the retailer’s overall performance in terms of local sourcing. The smallness of this sample is in part due to the fact that Waitrose has a more south-eastern distribution while other larger retail chains have a more widespread distribution across the country.
In terms of actual stocking of local and locality foods, Waitrose scored well, in comparison with other retailers.
25% of the Waitrose stores surveyed (1 store) had information leaflets for customers on local food, but none had any special in-store displays for any local foods. None of the Waitrose stores included in the survey had any local varieties of apples, potatoes or fresh lamb. Only 25% (1 store) had local milk, 25% had local cheese and 25% had local fresh beef.
However Waitrose scored well on locality foods: 25% of stores surveyed had locality apples, 50% had locality potatoes, 75% had locality milk, 100% had locality cheese, 75% had locality fresh beef and 100% had locality fresh lamb.
As for average numbers of varieties of these foods stocked in stores, of local foods the number of varieties stocked was low: 2 local milk varieties, 1 local cheese variety and 1 local beef variety per store. However, for locality foods the average numbers of varieties stocked was relatively high. There were an average of 3.86 varieties of locality potato per store, 7.16 varieties of locality milk per store, 10.86 varieties of locality cheese per store, 2 varieties of locality fresh beef cuts per store, and 4.56 varieties of locality fresh lamb cuts per store.
To score more highly, more in-store information on local food to consumers would be provided in more stores, more local foods would be stocked in more stores, and an even better selection of locality foods would be available for consumers to choose from.
Overall commentary and examples of good practice
No data submitted.
Supermarket comments
No comments were provided.
