On the back of governmental pressure, Sainsbury's has announced that it will discontinue "the vast majority" of its buy-one-get-one-free offers, and that it will instead concentrate on maintaining a system of low-pricing, various sources report.
Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose are currently under scrutiny by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority because of 'confusing' and 'disingenuous' multi-buy offers. It has transpired that such deals cause the ordinary shopper to spend £1,274 per year more than would be necessary.
Paul Mills-Hicks, Sainsbury’s food commercial director, was quoted by the Financial Times as saying, "Customer shopping habits have changed significantly in recent years, with people shopping more frequently – often seeking to buy what they need at that moment in time.
"By replacing multi-buy promotions with lower regular prices, we are making it easier for customers to buy the products they need, in the quantities they need, without having to buy multiple items to enjoy great value. Since we started simplifying our pricing approach we’ve seen a much greater variety of products in our customers’ baskets, signalling that they like the flexibility to make their own choices."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
