Sainsbury’s has unveiled a new online food service, ‘Occasions by Sainsbury’s’, offering customers a year-round selection of made-to-order products for parties, gatherings, and special events.

The platform, which had its trademark registered with the Intellectual Property Office last August, is integrated into the main Sainsburys.co.uk website, giving customers a streamlined experience that complements their regular online grocery shop.

The new initiative is replacing the supermarket’s previous ‘Food to Order’ microsite, the new range is designed to “take the hassle out of hosting”, with over 200 products expected to be available by the end of the year, more than half of which will be new to the range.

It is understood the launch follows feedback from shoppers who said time, cost and effort were major barriers to entertaining at home. Sainsbury’s said the new offer responds directly to that insight, with options tailored for birthdays, celebrations and everyday hosting.

“At Sainsbury’s, our ambition is to be customers’ first choice for food,” Sainsbury’s chief commercial officer Rhian Bartlett said.

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“We know that our customers lead busy lives, with many citing a lack of time as a barrier to hosting and we’re here to make the precious time spent together as easy as possible when it comes to entertaining.

“Taking inspiration from this insight, we’ve launched the new Occasions by Sainsbury’s range, to offer delicious, quality, convenient options to our customers for any occasion.

Alongside the new platform, the supermarket giant has also introduced two premium online services: a made-to-order butcher range offering specialist cuts prepared in advance, and a partnership with Plymouth-based Sound Seafood to provide wild-caught fish and seafood sourced to order.

“Our new butcher and specialist fish services perfectly complement this, offering bespoke, made-to-order food that can be ordered directly from our online grocery site, creating a new level of convenience for our customers with everything in one place,”  Bartlett added.

“We will continuously add to the Occasions by Sainsbury’s range in line with seasonal celebrations and everyday occasions that call for something extra special.”

The announcement comes as Sainsbury’s continues to outperform the grocery market. According to Kantar, sales at the retailer rose by 4.7% in the 12 weeks to 18 May, driven in part by strong demand for seasonal summer lines. The supermarket is due to reveal its second quarter trading results in the coming days.