Waitrose has added 18 new and improved lines to its FreeFrom range. These include a FreeFrom Strawberry Jam & Coconut Loaf Cake and FreeFrom Coronation Chicken Sandwich, which extends the supermarket’s FreeFrom selection to 42 products.
Recent Waitrose customer data showed that sweet treats and cakes lead the demand in FreeFrom eating, with year-on-year sales from FreeFrom Cakes up 24%. Sales of the chain’s FreeFrom Carrot Cake Slices and FreeFrom 2 Fruited Scones are also up 36% and 17% for the same period.
Katie Hesling, Waitrose FreeFrom Buyer, said: “FreeFrom sales at Waitrose have been positive year-on-year, with other categories such as FreeFrom Cereals, and FreeFrom Pastas sales rising by 9%, and 8%, respectively. Overall, we have seen sales of the FreeFrom range rise by 7% in 2024.
“FreeFrom eating is not confined to just gluten free foods, as many of our products are also made without dairy, nuts, and eggs. We are seeing searches at Waitrose for terms such as ‘egg free’ and ‘milk free’ up 300% and 25% over the last 7 days, highlighting that our customers know that they can look to us when shopping for specialist diets.”
Waitrose has also introduced new packaging to help shoppers identify which allergens are absent, using colour-coordinated labels on the front of the pack.
At the end of last year, Waitrose saw a surge in demand for seasonal FreeFrom products, with sales soaring over 40%, with significant growth for lines such as FreeFrom Panettone (+321%), FreeFrom 2 Mince Pies (+33%), FreeFrom 4 Mince Pies (+19%), FreeFrom Orange & Almond Slices (+18%), and FreeFrom Choc Cherry & Ginger Tiffin (+5%).
