 |
|
PASSION, PEOPLE, PRODUCT PRODUCT AND PRICE BEST AT FRESH
|
We're passionate about fresh foods, making them really appealing to our customers, both in quality and in the way we merchandise them in our stores.
We are creating a really distinctive and exciting offer in our fresh foods which we are determined will be the best in the market. This offer is based on the strength of our range, the quality of the products themselves and the way in which we merchandise them on the sales floor. We are making a ‘hero' of the product and we want our customers to share in our passion for fresh food. The best retailers abroad can do it – and so can we. New look for fruit and vegetables Deli and bakery with a differnce Several changes are planned for the delicatessen, notably much more emphasis on displaying whole products – for example, joints of meat – and correspondingly less on pre-slicing. Customers will then have their product sliced to order. This new look for the produce, bakery and deli areas is being accompanied by a retraining programme and by the recruitment of more people to merchandise the product and keep the shelves full. Being best at fresh is closely linked with being best for customer s e rvice, so that knowledgeable staff are always on hand to help our customers. We are also rapidly re-establishing Safeway's reputation for product quality. In April of this year we launched our new premium product range, ‘The Best'. This 80-strong range is ideal for customers who enjoy cooking regularly as well as those looking for a one-off special treat. The range will be strengthened by many other new lines as the year goes on. The pace of product innovation sharply increased during the second half of the year. New ranges included sandwiches (benchmarked against Marks & Spencer), Chinese ready meals, microwavable sausage and bacon, ‘healthy choice' quick snacks and Aldo Zilli fish sauces. We also strengthened our own-brand organic range by adding fresh milk, a range of meats, fruit juices, coffee and pasta sauces. Our organic range now comprises over 300 products and sales increased significantly over the year. Our Buyers travel the world to put the best products on our shelves. Catherine Lee, Pizzaroma To ensure customers can be guaranteed an authentic tasting, top quality pizza, Catherine has developed the range using traditional ingredients and cooking methods. The pizza bases are made using a traditional Italian Stone Bake method which cooks at high temperature and produces a light and crispy base when finished off at home. The Pizzaroma range comes in four delicious Italian tastes – Spinach and Ricotta, Pepperoni and Prosciutto, Goats Cheese & Roasted Vegetables and Four Cheese. Complementing Safeway's already established pizza range, Pizzaroma offers customers a premium product without the premium price tag. Terry Voss, beef on the bone Terry played a key role in making sure that Safeway shoppers could buy beef on the bone as soon as possible when it was announced that the ban would be lifted. Meat cuts, including the traditional favourites, bone in rib of beef and T-bone steak, were immediately rushed back into store to be available for customers in Camden on 1 December 1999. But the work didn't end here and Terry negotiated with suppliers to ensure that customers up and down the country could again buy this much loved British product and by 2 December Safeway was able to offer it from 130 stores. Jim Wheel, ‘The Best' Our Tarte aux Pommes is the perfect example. Made to a traditional recipe and with the highest quality ingredients, it has certainly earned its place in this line-up. But the range reaches much further into Safeway's offering, with appearances from oils to meat and fish products. ‘The Best' menu caters for all tastes, and the best news of all is that it's still growing. New entries to the range come from both brand new products and old favourites which have been noted for their outstanding quality. So go on – treat yourself to ‘The Best'! Louise Corken, luxury dairy ice cream It's a mouthwatering flavour experience for ice cream devotees, with only the finest ingredients. Launched in January 2000, it was developed as a seasonal line a round a theme for Valentine's Day. Due to its success, it has now become part of the year round range of luxury ice cream. Along with ‘Chunky Chocolate' and ‘Strawberry Brûlée' it adds a new tier to our established ice cream range and re flects Safeway's strategic focus on product set at a price that re p resents real value. Sarah Kennedy, Chinese ready meals Sarah has transformed Chinese takeaway and restaurant meals into high quality ready meals, with the range taking its inspiration from the top 10 takeaway favourites across the UK. The Crispy Chilli Beef reflects the range's characteristics of quality and popularity, with tender beef strips in crispy batter complemented by a piquant sticky sauce and a selection of thinly sliced vegetables. With the current range selling well, Sarah is continuing to develop additions to join the range, which will again be comparable to restaurant quality standards and deliver a fresh feel into Safeway's ready meal offering. Jeanie Adam, sandwiches Jeanie has been developing a bigger, better sandwich that is truly in a class of its own, with attention to detail, bringing a variety of speciality breads and wraps into the range. The development of m o re unusual fillings, epitomised by Wensleydale and carrot chutney which Jeanie is enjoying and which sit alongside our most popular lines, also shows the benefits of a fresh new makeover. Claire Thomas, Nutri-therapy The Vitamin Jacuzzi is just one of Safeway's innovative Nutri-therapy range which offers all the goodness of what we put into our bodies in a beauty range for the whole family. Claire has built on Safeway's heritage in food and transformed the goodness of its fresh, healthy products, with an emphasis on using fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices to ensure that customers can not only eat healthily but live healthily with all the beauty benefits which nature has to offer. Our buyers are really passionate about their products. Facing page: Catherine Lee (bottom left) Te rry Voss (top right) Jim Wheel (middle) and Louise Corken (bottom) This page: Sarah Kennedy (top) Jeanie Adam (middle) and C l a i re Thomas (bottom). |
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Catherine Lee has brought the taste of Italy to Safeway customers in the form of Safeway's Pizzaroma Italian Style Pizza range.
Customers with a taste for the exotic need look no further than Safeway's shelves, which are stacked with a selection of Chinese ready meals thanks to Sarah Kennedy.
Take a bite into Safeway's fresh new sandwich range and you'll find out why Jeanie Adam is so enthusiastic about the new and improved range, which competes with the best in the market on quality.
From the fresh fruit and vegetable aisle to the health and beauty counter, Claire Thomas has used Safeway's knowledge of nutrients and brought it into the bathroom.