Sales at Waitrose have been boosted by growing demand for Delia Smith’s ready-to-make Christmas cake mix, the retailer has revealed.
Waitrose chief executive Mark Price said the product has broken store seasonal records, with shoppers picking up the celebrity chef’s £10 festive cake kit at a rate of one pack every seven seconds.
“Delia’s cake ingredients pack is the fastest-selling Christmas product Waitrose has ever had at this stage in the run-up to the holiday season”, he commented.
Price revealed that the product’s popularity contributed to total sales rising to £98million in the week to Saturday 20 November, up 8 per cent on the same week last year and 24 per cent on the same period in 2008.
“Our strong sales figures show that Christmas preparations are well underway as customers stock up with festive fare for their freezers and store cupboards,” he added.
Waitrose said it expects stock of both Ms Smith’s cake mix and Heston Blumenthal’s Christmas pudding to run out next week.
Both chefs feature in the supermarket’s “recipe for great food” TV campaign, which shows them giving tips on how to make their signature festive treats.
