The Co-op leads the way on Easter special offers
The Grocer
The Co-op has ramped up promotional savings ahead of Easter, offering better deals on branded and own label products than the other mults.
There were 788 featured space promotions in the Co-op in the four weeks to 18 March 2018, up marginally from 784 during previous four-week period.
While Sainsbury’s has ramped up its promotions activity faster, with a 21.4% uplift in the number of deals available in stores, it cut average savings by 5%.
In contrast, the Co-op has increased the average savings on its promotions to 33.6%, which is 2.7 percentage points higher than last month and 2.9 points higher than last year.
“With all this in mind, Co-op is moving in the most positive direction for shoppers, with increased promo activity month on month and savings increased both month on month and year on year, combined with the best branded and own label savings (36.4% and 29.3%),” says Assosia director Kay Staniland.
Savings are up across nice out of the 12 categories in the Co-op, including impulse. It has the highest average savings on ambient confectionery of 39.9%, with Morrisons offering the second best savings in the category at 34.1%.
“All in all it appears that, dependent on its selection given the smaller range of offers, Co-op could be a very good place to stock up for Easter,” Staniland adds.
With Easter approaching, ambient confectionery topped the list of most promoted items for four out of six retailers, although Waitrose and Morrisons have focused more on wine than chocolate.
Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have also all increased their use of multibuy mechanics compared with last year, while Tesco, Co-op and Asda have increased single price point deals while cutting back on x for y promotions.
| Asda | Co-op | Morrisons | Sainsbury’s | Tesco | Waitrose | |
| Number of offers | 2496 | 788 | 2140 | 2524 | 2353 | 1216 |
| Number last month | 2515 | 784 | 2142 | 2080 | 2407 | 1273 |
| % change m-o-m | -0.76% | 0.51% | -0.09% | 21.35% | -2.24% | -4.48% |
| Number last year | 2306 | 811 | 2156 | 2773 | 2248 | 1323 |
| % change on last year | 8.24% | -2.84% | -0.74% | -8.98% | 4.67% | -8.09% |
| Average start price (£) per UNIT | £3.47 | £3.74 | £4.36 | £5.38 | £4.81 | £5.85 |
| Typical Average TOTAL £ saving | £1.26 | £1.41 | £1.55 | £1.60 | £1.49 | £1.82 |
| Typical Average TOTAL % saving | 27.7% | 34.6% | 33.0% | 28.0% | 31.9% | 28.5% |
| Average % saving last month | 26.5% | 33.7% | 34.9% | 29.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% |
| % savings change m-o-m | 4.47% | 2.67% | -5.55% | -5.03% | 1.52% | -9.77% |
| Average % saving last year | 30.9% | 33.6% | 32.9% | 27.2% | 30.8% | 30.7% |
| % savings change on last year | -10.18% | 2.86% | 0.36% | 2.77% | 3.70% | -7.15% |
| Current Brand:own-label ratio | 92:8 | 75:25 | 89:11 | 79:21 | 86:14 | 90:10 |
| Ratio 1 year ago | 92:8 | 72:28 | 89:11 | 83:17 | 85:15 | 87:13 |
| Average % saving (branded) | 28.5% | 36.4% | 33.9% | 28.9% | 32.6% | 28.4% |
| Average % saving (o/l) | 19.3% | 29.3% | 25.7% | 24.7% | 28.4% | 29.2% |
| AVERAGE STARTING PRICE LAST YEAR | £3.58 | £3.99 | £3.80 | £4.46 | £4.22 | £5.79 |
| Increase/Decrease in starting price £ | -£0.11 | -£0.26 | £0.56 | £0.92 | £0.59 | £0.06 |
| Increase/Decrease in starting price % | -3.10% | -6.83% | 12.87% | 17.02% | 12.30% | 1.05% |
Published in The Grocer, 28 March 2018