Worth It to be in stores by April
Woolworths will unveil a new value brand alongside its results tomorrow as it battles to beat off supermarket incursions into its market.

The Worth It range, created in response to the value brands of grocers such as Tesco and Asda, will be launched at the end of April and will extend across most of Woolworths' categories.

A source close to the retailer said that while Worth It lines will be less expensive than others in stores, margins will not be compromised. The merchandise will be available in most of the retailer's branches.

Woolworths has suffered as a result of the big grocers' push into general merchandise over the past few years. Its core chain suffered a 4.6 per cent like-for-like decline over the key Christmas period and profits reported tomorrow are expected to be below those of the previous year.

Although the retailer has made big improvements to its EUK entertainment supply arm through various acquisitions and supply deals, a successful strategy for the stores division has remained elusive.

The retailer is expected to provide a progress report tomorrow on its store update programme, including the results of a de-cluttering initiative undertaken at its Maidenhead shop.