Sainsbury’s has claimed that it has become the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products, ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight.
Almost one in every £4 spent on Fairtrade in the UK is spent at a Sainsbury’s store, and the supermarket’s annual Fairtrade sales have increased by around 10% on this time last year, up to £218m.
Sainsbury’s already sells 700 Fairtrade products and it will add a range of cereal this week.
Sainsbury’s customer director, Gwyn Burr, said: “Despite the current focus on price and great value, shoppers clearly want to know that producers are getting a fair deal too. We believe that Fairtrade is a great way to provide customers with the best of both worlds – ethically sourced products at affordable prices.”
The scale of Sainsbury’s success is thanks in part to a series of conversions it has made in major food and drink categories. In July 2007, the supermarket moved all its bananas to Fairtrade and since then, has converted 100% of its own-brand roast, ground coffee and sugar ranges and 95% of its own brand tea ranges.
