Grocery sales are up 10.1% in a year, Sainsbury’s interim results reveal, as it confirmed it is expanding Your Nectar Prices for customers shopping online, via the app, home delivery or click & collect.
The supermarket giant said customers have already saved over £30m this year by using Your Nectar Prices in store via SmartShop.
The scheme allows shoppers to get personalised prices on frequently bought products at Sainsbury’s.
But until now, they’ve only been available to digital Nectar users (those who have registered via the Nectar app or online) when shopping in stores using SmartShop.
By rolling out the Your Nectar Prices scheme online, Sainsbury’s said the personalised prices “are now available for even more customers”.
Digital Nectar Prices allow customers to receive up to 10 personalised prices each week, with savings of up to 30% on each product, visible on the Nectar app or the Nectar page on Sainsburys.co.uk.
The list of items is based on the products customers regularly buy, as well as what Nectar thinks customers will like based on previous shopping habits.
Your Nectar Prices
Your Nectar Prices are refreshed for customers every Friday and are valid for seven days. The offers can also be used more than once so customers can make the most of the personalised prices.
To access Your Nectar Prices, customers need to be digitally registered with Nectar online at www.nectar.com or via the Nectar app.
To start getting Your Nectar Prices online, customers need to add their Nectar account to their Sainsbury’s groceries online account or the groceries app.
Once Nectar is added, customers will be able to view Your Nectar Prices offers on the Nectar page of the website and on the individual product pages, as well as in the groceries app. When shoppers add the products on offer to their basket, the Your Nectar Price will be automatically applied at the checkout.
Alex Naisby, director of loyalty & CRM at Nectar, said: “Offering great value to customers is important to Sainsbury’s and Your Nectar Prices aims to help where it really matters, by offering savings on products people love and regularly buy.
“Sainsbury’s customers have already saved millions of pounds by taking advantage of Your Nectar Prices in store via SmartShop and so we’re pleased to now offer it to a wider pool of shoppers. We want as many customers as possible to reap the benefits of our personalised prices.”
Sainsbury’s interim results for the 28 weeks ending 16 September 2023
Like-for-like sales (excluding fuel) are up 8.4%, however clothing sales are down by an equal 8.4%, “reflecting a disciplined trading approach in a seasonally weak and promotionally-driven market”.
Statutory group sales were up 3.5%, with fuel sales down 19.6% “driven by lower input prices”.
Sainsbury’s recorded a retail operating profit of £485m, up 2%, reflecting strong volume-driven grocery profit growth.
However, underlying profit before tax remained flat year-on-year at £340m, while statutory profit before tax of £275m was recorded – down 27%.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: “Sainsbury’s has long been seen as ‘stuck in the middle’ – more expensive than Asda, Tesco and the discounters but not as pricey as Waitrose. Therefore, the business has never been the first choice to attract cash-strapped consumers, nor has it traditionally appealed to people with a few quid to spare.
“The response by the current management team has been to offer good quality products at more affordable prices, which has helped pick up business from those seeking to trade down from the likes of Waitrose, while also luring in people on tighter budgets looking for a treat. Once these shoppers have entered its stores, they then find plenty on offer at the right price points for them.
“Sainsbury’s now enters the key festive trading period where a lot lies on consumers deciding to splash the cash at Christmas, buying their food and toys from the grocer. Given this year’s performance so far, Sainsbury’s has a fighting chance of doing well, yet it has plenty of competitors all with their own tricks up their sleeves.”
