Waitrose issues message to customers after 'more shoppers' begin shopping there

The supermarket - which is rivalled by Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and more - has posted a recovery which helped John Lewis slash losses and improve profit outlook.

Waitrose has sent a fresh message to shoppers as more and more customers opt to shop with it. The supermarket - which is rivalled by Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and more - has posted a recovery which helped John Lewis slash losses and improve profit outlook.

The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has said it is on track for “significantly higher” full-year profits. Nish Kankiwala, the chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “These results confirm that our transformation plan is working and we expect profits to grow significantly for the full year, a marked improvement from where we were two years ago.

“We continue to invest heavily in quality, service and value, and customers are responding well – with more people shopping with us and customer satisfaction increasing. While we have much more to do, we’re well set up for a positive peak trading period.”

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Kankiwala said that despite “the environment for our customers remaining uncertain” the group expected to maintain momentum. Waitrose made an operating profit of £113 million, up from £38 MILLION last year, as sales rose five per cent to £3.9 BILLION.

It credited better availability of products on shelves and attracting 300,000 more shoppers with new ranges such as an exclusive deal with Ottolenghi. John Lewis made a £49 million operating loss, widening from £25 million last year, after sales slid three per cent to £2 BILLION in what it called a “challenging market”.

Clive Black, an analyst at Shore Capital, said in a statement in the wake of the trading update from the supermarket chain today: “It is pleasing to see this British retail institution out of the surgical ward and almost exiting the medical one, too."

Clive went on and added: "The business is more focused, showing clear improvement at Waitrose.”