Hark! The Sainsbury’s tills will ring – customers getting ready for a bumper Christmas break will make Friday 22nd December the biggest ever trading day in the company’s history.
- Customers doing the ‘big shop before Christmas’ on 22nd Dec will make it a record-breaking day
- Sales driven by bumper weekend of celebrations, with a third of UK households hosting festivities
- ‘Sparkling Saturday’: Sainsbury’s will sell 500,000 bottles of wine and champagne on Saturday alone
- Over 1,800 colleagues from central offices will be in stores helping ahead of the Big Day
With Christmas falling on a Monday this year, the record-breaking sales are being driven by shoppers stocking up on supplies ahead of the long weekend of festive celebrations. Sainsbury’s research found that over a third (38 per cent) of UK households who celebrate Christmas will be hosting their own festivities over the weekend[1]. While almost half (46 per cent) of households are planning to attend between two and three Christmas events over the long weekend[2].
As a result, on Friday, Sainsbury’s customers in store and online are expected to spend over £160 million on their last big shop before Christmas, with 5.2 million customers set to visit one of Sainsbury’s 607 supermarkets or 820 convenience stores across the UK. Kantar Worldpanel estimates UK shoppers will spend a record £4.2 billion on food and drink in the final week before Christmas, with Friday 22nd seeing the biggest single day of sales[3].
Over 1,800 Sainsbury’s colleagues from central offices will also be helping out in their local stores the week before Christmas to help keep shelves well-stocked and operations running smoothly for customers.
Record numbers of customers will also be heading online for their last big shop before Christmas. This week is expected to be the retailer’s biggest ever for online sales, with 20 million items set to be delivered. Sainsbury’s will be delivering an online grocery order every second throughout the day on Friday 22nd December, from 7am until 11pm at night right across the UK from Penzance in Cornwall to Nairn in the Scottish Highlands, to make sure these all-important orders reach customers.
Sainsbury’s research found that over a third (36 per cent) of UK households who celebrate Christmas think Christmas dinner is the most important part of the day, but while one in four (27 per cent) enjoy cooking Christmas dinner from scratch, the same amount of people enjoy hosting but find it quite stressful. Sainsbury’s stocks everything customers need for a home-cooked feast or pre-prepared, stress-free party, with key Christmas products expected to make up much of the ‘Festive Friday’ big shop.
One of the most popular items going into baskets ahead of Christmas is sparkling wine and champagne. Sainsbury’s expects almost half a million bottles – including 9,000 magnums – to be bought on Saturday 23rd December alone.
Customers will also be picking up the essentials for a classic Christmas. On Friday 22nd December alone, Sainsbury’s expects to sell over 55 mince pies every second – 166 tonnes in total; 22.6 million Brussels sprouts; 121,000 turkeys; 180,000 Christmas puddings – 44 tonnes in total and 216,000 pigs in blankets. On Wednesday, Sainsbury’s dropped the price of parsnips, Brussels sprouts and carrots to 25p, undercutting rivals in order to offer customers great quality food for less. Sainsbury’s is also beating competitors on the price of premium turkey crowns, with its Taste the Difference Bronze Turkey Crown at just £14 per kg.
In addition to grocery shops, customers still looking for last minute Christmas presents will be able to order online from Sainsbury’s Argos right up to Christmas Eve. The retailer offers Fast Track delivery & collection across its 835 stores. With over half of orders beginning online, there are now over 200 Click & Collect points available in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and convenience stores, where customers can pick up their Christmas orders alongside their big grocery shop. For those last minute Christmas gifts and must-haves, customers can even order goods for Fast Track delivery until 1pm on Christmas Eve, for delivery by 6pm that day.
Sainsbury’s CEO, Mike Coupe, said, “We know that our customers like to treat themselves and their loved ones at Christmas. We’ve launched 185 brand new food lines this Christmas so there is something for every occasion. We know it’s going to be a bumper shopping weekend – we have 820 convenience stores open until late around the country to help right up until the last minute. Over 1,800 colleagues from our central offices will be in stores over the next couple of days helping everyone stock up ahead of the big day.”
[1] OnePoll research commissioned by Sainsbury’s, December 2017
[2] OnePoll research commissioned by Sainsbury’s, December 2017
[3] Kantar Worldpanel, December 2017