Waitrose enjoys 9.4% rise in sales

Supermarket chain Waitrose yesterday posted a 9.4 per cent year-on-year sales rise in the first week of its campaign to price match Tesco on 1,000 branded products.

The percentage rise was similar to the year-on-year increase reported in the previous week, prompting analysts to question the early effects of the campaign.

But Waitrose - which is part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership - said customers "responded positively" to the price initiative, which covers staples such as Heinz Baked Beans and Persil washing powder.

It is the first time the chain has adopted price-matching tactics associated with rivals such as Asda and Morrisons.

Seymour Pierce analyst Freddie George said the size of last week's sales increase suggested the price-match initiative had not had the same impact as the launch of the chain's Essentials basics range 18 months ago.

Elsewhere in the John Lewis business, department store sales rose 13.9 per cent year-on-year in a "fantastic week" for the 30-strong chain.

But the Scottish stores failed to share in the rise, with Aberdeen down 5.5 per cent, Glasgow 2.7 per cent lower and Edinburgh falling 1.1 per cent.