Sainsbury’s goes posh

SAINSBURY’S is introducing luxury cakes from the Patisserie Valerie chain and freshly made sushi at its stores to sharpen up its customer image.

Patisserie Valerie cakes and pastries delivered fresh every morning are available at 12 stores as part of a partnership with the upmarket cafe.

The supermarket will also build on its partnership with Sushi Gourmet, having installed sushi bars across 20 of its branches in a trial.

Sushi Gourmet’s chefs prepare a variety of sushi and teppanyaki products in front of shoppers for them to take home.

Sainsbury’s plans to open sushi bars in another 30 shops by the end of the year, following positive feedback.

Its bid to go upmarket comes as the big supermarkets try new methods to lure shoppers back to their shops having lost thousands to low-cost rivals such as Aldi and Lidl.

Food commercial director Paul Mills-Hicks said: ‘We know that working with high-quality, trusted brands helps attract new customers to our stores.’