Family-owned supermarket chain celebrates festive spending spree

Preston-based family-owned independent supermarket group, Booths, saw a 6.5% increase in sales over its key three-week trading period during the festive season.

The like-for-like sales include 27 stores, apart from the MediaCity store which closed in 2021.

Booths also registered its best Christmas week customer satisfaction score.

Total revenue, including B2B and wholesale sales, increased by 4.3% from 2020, for the year to January 1, 2022, across the 27 stores. This rounded off a strong period of performance throughout the key trading quarter which saw retail like for like growth of 4.2% on 2020,

Chief operating officer, Nigel Murray, said, “I’m delighted to report growth on growth figures for a third consecutive year.

“Christmas at Booths is a true team effort of 12 months in the planning. Our 3,000 colleagues strive to deliver the very best food and drink along with our renowned warm Northern welcome.

“I pay particular credit to the teams who kept smiling behind their facemasks to deliver warm and friendly service in our stores and the top levels of quality and availability achieved against some incredibly challenging market conditions.”

Customers planned and ordered early with significant increases seen in the number of Christmas pre-orders received in October and November.

Highlights of the trading period saw English wines, both still and sparkling, continue to track growth rising four per cent from 2020, and a 73% increase versus 2019 sales.

Also, frozen party food grew by 170%, frozen desserts 41% and poultry 14% compared with 2020. Champagne sales rose by 21%, sales of artisan cheese increased by 17% against 2020, and Booths manufacturing made 400,000 fresh hand rolled pigs in blankets and three tonnes of goose fat potatoes, while sales of mince pies rose by eight per cent in contrast with 2020.