Sainsbury’s is building a new team of culinary masterminds in an attempt to lure shoppers put off by the end of Waitrose’s Heston Blumenthal range.
Amid a rising trend in more unusual products, the supermarket chain has been growing its food innovation team, which has grown by almost a third since the end of 2020.
The move by Sainsbury’s comes as rival grocery Waitrose ended its 12-year partnership with celebrity chef Mr Blumenthal last month.
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Recent products developed by the Sainsbury’s gourmet team include the cheese, tomato and oregano hot cross buns, available this Easter, while its experimental kitchen is also preparing to launch 150 summer items – more than half in the Taste the Difference range.
Blumenthal has been known for developing some of Waitrose’s most unusual products, including a bacon and banana trifle and sandwiches featuring coffee-flavoured mushroom ketchup.
Waitrose said at the time of ending the relationship that it was “looking forward to the next chapter and unveiling some really exciting plans in the months to come”.
The supermarket has recently been reviewing its ranges after online grocery sales dropped by 27% last year. The retailer’s market share declined to 4.5% at the end of March, according to the latest Kantar figures, down from 4.8% last year.
