M& S ‘cheaper food’ blitz to bag shoppers

FOR years it has wooed shoppers with decadent party food and melt-in-the-middle Belgian chocolate puddings.

But now Marks & Spencer is set to take on the big supermarkets by promoting ‘everyday prices’ on staples such as cheese, porridge and ham.

The retailer will this week launch a major television advertising push to t ransform its i mage from upmarket food hall to family supermarket.

It wants t o convince priceconscious households to do their regular food shop at its stores – or through its Ocado doorstep delivery service, which launches next month. M&S will use its ‘Remarksable’ marketing strapline to push sales of essentials such as bread, milk, cheese and eggs.

M& S has s pent 1 8 months making sure it can out-do supermarket rivals – particularly Waitrose, whom it will replace as Ocado’s food partner – on price and quality when the delivery service is launched.

Customers will be able to get a bag of six apples for £1.50 at M&S. A similar pack costs £1.75 at Waitrose, according to research by industry magazine The Grocer.

Shoppers will be able to pick up two pints of milk, a bottle of olive oil and ten rashers of bacon for 85p, £2.40 and £2, respectively. The closest matched products would cost 89p, £2.50 and £2.25 at Waitrose, the magazine found.

Researchers have found average prices on a sample of 70 basic M&S products to be eight per cent cheaper than Waitrose, with 36 per cent selling at the same price.

The M&S ad campaign will run for three weeks to coincide with the launch of the Ocado deliveries on September 1.

M&S started putting its products on Ocado’s website earlier this month. They are currently badged as ‘not in stock’ unless customers have already secured delivery slots in September. Customers will be able to choose from 6,000 items on its website, compared to 4,000 products on Waitrose’s website. Bosses have also put together 750 additional product lines for the launch, boasting ‘bigger pack sizes’ and more ‘cupboard stables’.

M&S has also introduced more ingredients for cooking meals from scratch, and a bigger selection of organic and frozen fruit and vegetables.

The ‘ Remarksable’ marketing slogan was first used on its value ranges last year in a bid to highlight its lower prices. The retailer is replacing Waitrose as Ocado’s delivery partner as part of plans to double the size of its food business over five years.

M&S has faced declining clothing sales for years despite high-profile collaborations with the likes of TV presenter Holly Willoughby. So its bosses have decided to go all-in on its grocery business, which has proved to be an enduring success over the past two decades.

‘Bosses have gone all-in on the grocery business’