Waitrose sales fell last week despite soaring demand for French food as Tour de France swept through Britain
The upmarket supermarket chain, which is owned by department store group John Lewis, said weekly sales excluding petrol were 0.4 per cent lower than the same period last year at £124.6m.
The company blamed an ‘exceptional’ performance 12 months earlier as the start of the summer heatwave and Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory set the tills ringing.
But analysts said Waitrose, like rivals Tesco and Sainsbury, is also coming under pressure from discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl.
With the Tour de France in the UK, Waitrose said sales of French baked goods such as croissants and pains au chocolat jumped 23 per cent. There was also increased demand for French cheese.
The 0.4pc fall in sales at Waitrose contrasted with a 20.7 per cent rise at John Lewis department stores.
source: thisismoney.co.uk
