UK retailer Sainsbury's has predicted that the popularity of the American Thanksgiving holiday, celebrated throughout the weekend, will increase sales of such festive staples as root vegetables, cranberry sauce and turkey.
Sites with a large American expat presence, such as army bases, will encourage a 30% increase in sales of butternut squash and sweet potatoes, it said, whereas cranberry sauce will also be popular. Sainsbury's saw a 46% jump in week-on-week sales for the item in the week leading up to the holiday last year.
Sales of typical American confectionery, such as Mega Marshmallows, Reese’s peanut butter Cups and Butterfingers, also rose by 20% in 2015.
Responding to the demand for such traditional fare, Sainsbury's will be introducing Baking Buddy Tinned Pumpkin for the first time on Friday, costing £1 per tin, ideal for making pumpkin pies and other treats.
Turkey crowns also arrived in store yesterday.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.