Waitrose tells suppliers it plans to 'optimise' its range

Waitrose has told suppliers it is looking to unlock growth by optimising its range as part of its Home of Food Lovers strategy.

The upmarket retailer hosted an online supplier briefing last week in which it pledged to double down on growth lines, including its own-label offer.

Suppliers were briefed by Waitrose chief commercial officer Charlotte Di Cello, who said around 25% of Waitrose’s range accounts for just 3% of its sales, and identified this as an area of concern.

However, The Grocer understands no decisions have been taken yet regarding range resets or delistings of slow-moving lines. Waitrose said it was looking to engage with suppliers at the early stages of the process.

The message from Waitrose was that it is planning to “unlock the next phase of growth by better curating our ranges to give our customers more of what they love – from new and established brands to own brand”.

Waitrose said it will “optimise our range by reducing complexity, which will deliver better on-shelf availability and improve efficiency within our supply chains”.

Any changes that do emerge will be “informed by data on our customers’ behaviour and habits”.

As well as range, Waitrose is also looking to deliver “more effective and rewarding promotions that resonate with our customers”. This will include more personalised and loyalty offers.

The meeting also looked to reassure suppliers that Waitrose was committed to “maintaining a vibrant, diverse portfolio that champions established names, smaller brands, and exciting innovations alike”.

One branded supplier who heard the briefing said “we need to wait and see what the implications of ‘25% delivers 3%’ translates into“.

He added that he was encouraged to hear that “more space will be given to better-selling lines to improve availability”.

Di Cello told The Grocer: “We want to be the ‘Home of Food Lovers’ by offering market-leading quality and value, while remaining uncompromising on the values that make Waitrose, Waitrose.

“For us, it’s all about the food lover and we want to provide them with what they love most. We’re building off of our continued momentum to do exactly that.”