- Waitrose has introduced more than 18 new and improved FreeFrom products, with updated vibrant packaging.
- Surge in sales for FreeFrom products including FreeFrom Carrot Cake Slices and FreeFrom 2 Fruited Scones up 36% and 27% year on year.
- FreeFrom Cakes sales are up 24% year on year showcasing the customer demand for sweet treats.
As customers continue to shop for specialist foods which accommodate their dietary lifestyle, Waitrose has added 18 new and improved products to its FreeFrom range, including the FreeFrom Strawberry Jam & Coconut Loaf Cake and FreeFrom Coronation Chicken Sandwich, which now extends Waitrose’s FreeFrom range to 42 products.
Recent Waitrose customer data indicated that sweet treats and cakes lead the demand in FreeFrom eating, with year-on-year sales from FreeFrom Cakes up 24%. To follow this, sales of our FreeFrom Carrot Cake Slices and FreeFrom 2 Fruited Scones are also up 36% and 17%, for the same period.
Katie Hesling, Waitrose FreeFrom Buyer, said: “FreeFrom sales at Waitrose have been positive year-on-year, with other categories such as FreeFrom Cereals, and FreeFrom Pastas sales rising by 9%, and 8%, respectively. Overall, we have seen sales of the FreeFrom range rise by 7% in 2024.”
FreeFrom eating is not confined to just gluten free foods, as many of our products are also made without dairy, nuts, and eggs. We are seeing searches at Waitrose for terms such as “egg free” and “milk free” up 300% and 25% over the last 7 days, highlighting that our customers know that they can look to us when shopping for specialist diets.
Tim Daly, Waitrose FreeFrom Product Developer, said: “We have focused on adding more of those delicious sweet treats that we know our customers love, with new products such as our FreeFrom Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and FreeFrom Sicilian Lemon & White Chocolate All Butter Cookies. These additions now make it much easier to shop for a friend's birthday or bring treats in for colleagues who might require specialist products.”
The new packaging will also aid customers in identifying which allergens are absent, as we have added colour-coordinated labels on the front of the pack. This means that it will be easy to spot which of our FreeFrom products don’t include gluten, milk, soya, egg, or lactose. With the new design, the range will stand out more vibrantly on our shelves, meaning that customers will be able to shop for FreeFrom products with more ease and spend less time searching through the ingredients list.
Last year, Waitrose saw a remarkable surge in demand for seasonal FreeFrom products, with sales soaring over 40% year on year, with growth visible for our FreeFrom Panettone (+321%), FreeFrom 2 Mince Pies (+33%), FreeFrom 4 Mince Pies (+19%), FreeFrom Orange & Almond Slices (+18%), and FreeFrom Choc Cherry & Ginger Tiffin (+5%).
Discover our new FreeFrom products in our shops and online on Waitrose.com with select products also available on Deliveroo, UberEats, and Just Eat.
