Retail group’s decision to slash prices permanently on more than 1000 products seen as sign of discounters’ growing influence in the UK
A major round of price cuts unveiled by British retail chain Morrisons on a wide range of grocery items – including fresh fruit and vegetables – is being viewed as a move designed to head off increasing competition from the fresh food offer presented by German discounters in the UK.
The group said the launch of the I’m Cheaper campaign, heralded by television and print advertising, as well as the distribution of free fruit outside the chain’s London Bridge branch, marked “the start of a new cheaper Morrisons”, with prices cut on around 1,200 of its customers’ favourite products, including apples, pears, citrus, tomatoes and carrots.
A new website, powered by mysupermarket.co.uk, will also allow shoppers to view a product’s pricing history, a move clearly aimed at facing up to the discounters as well as the price-driven approach already adopted by rival chain Asda.
“Not temporary reductions or supermarket smoke and mirrors, these are new every day low prices on the things you buy every week,” the company declared. “So you’ll notice the difference with every shop.”
A pack of five or six vine-ripened tomatoes, for example, has been reduced permanently to £0.99 from £1.69, while loose tomatoes will now be sold at £1.55 per kg instead of £1.99 per kg.