You can’t have your cake and eat it, or so the saying goes. As a grocer, that’s meant that you can be known for low prices or for premium products – but you can’t be great at both. 

But the world has changed. In today’s retail environment, which has been transformed by Covid-19, customers need and expect more from the retailers they choose to shop with.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on just how important the food we put on our plates is. On the one hand, we know customers are concerned about their finances. Most people have tightened their purse strings, whether that’s because their personal situations have changed or in response to the pervasive sense of uncertainty that has loomed over us all.

UK unemployment is expected to continue rising for the rest of the year, reaching 2.6 million in the middle of 2021, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. That’s 7.5% of the working-age population. 

Being able to continue putting tasty, nutritious food on the table is a very real concern for many families. Record levels of people are living in food poverty. As food retailers, we have a responsibility to our customers and the communities we serve to help.

On the other hand, we’ve seen customers keen to treat themselves. During a lockdown, food and drink is one of the few ways we can add a little luxury to our lives, whether that’s by becoming an at-home barista, taking the opportunity to try different world cuisines while we’re unable to travel or treating ourselves with a nice bottle of wine on a Friday night. 

It’s also one of the few ways we can try something new while we’re spending more time in our homes. We’ve seen customers become bread bakers, cocktail makers and giving homemade pizza and pasta a go. Despite last-minute changes to Christmas plans and smaller gatherings, customers still chose to treat themselves during the festive season

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference sales were up 11% and party food was popular throughout December. This appetite to make celebrations at home as special as possible has continued into 2021, with lots of customers cooking up feasts for Chinese new year and Valentine’s day dinners, as well as plating up plenty of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. 

Recipe for success

It is clear that customers still want to live well, even if they need to spend a little less. Shoppers don’t want to scrimp on the quality of the food they eat and nor should they have to when it’s become more important to them than ever before. 

With the economic outlook likely to keep putting pressure on people’s finances, grocers should embrace the idea that it is possible to deliver both quality and value to meet the needs of modern shoppers.

At Sainsbury’s, we have a proud heritage of providing high-quality food that customers trust at affordable prices. But we know that in the highly unusual current circumstances, we need to do more than ever to show customers that they don’t need to shop around for the best prices.

“We’ve been very clear that value does not mean cutting any corners on quality. Customers can be confident that they’re getting the quality they expect”

Earlier this month we launched our boldest ever value campaign, matching discount supermarket Aldi on hundreds of the nation’s favourite foods and staple items. We’ve boiled it down to focus on 250 products that are truly important to our customers, covering what’s at the heart of their meals, like beef mince, as well as their store cupboard staples such as flour.

But we’ve been very clear that this does not mean cutting any corners on quality. Customers can be confident that they’re getting the quality they expect from Sainsbury’s – whether that’s British products from trusted farmers or free-range eggs – at great prices. We should all feel able to treat ourselves and try something different, whether that’s by trying a bit of basa fillet in a fish pie or serving up steak on a weeknight.

Great value doesn’t have to come at the cost of quality. Supermarkets must serve up both. Like all good recipes, it’s about finding the balance between ingredients to land on that sweet spot and satisfy customers.