Wholesaler Booker has frozen prices across 450 of its catering lines in a bid to support the foodservice sector amid pressures offset by rising inflation levels.
As of yesterday (5 October), the price lock is set to last until 3 January, running throughout the Christmas period.
This comes as leading retailer Tesco, the parent company of Booker, announced yesterday that it would be freezing its prices on more than 1,000 products until next year.
Its UK CEO Jason Tarry said the lock looked to support its shoppers during the winter months as “times are tough”.
He added: “We hope this extended price-lock commitment gives our customers the certainty of knowing that over a thousand household favourites will stay at the same great price for months to come – helping them budget when they need it most.”
Despite the cost-of-living crisis, many UK retailers are expecting to see a busy Christmas period.
Tesco has said it plans to hire 12,500 temporary staff across the UK, although has announced that more than 300 jobs will be axed from its offices and regional teams.
This comes as a result of the businesses pretax profit dropping by 64% to £413 million, as reported in its interim results for the six-month period ending 27 August.
However, both Tesco and Booker reported an increase in like-for-like sales as catering demand has seen an increase.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy told The Grocer: “Booker preformed very strongly because it is the best quality and best for value wholesaler in the market.”
