Sainsbury's King: understanding the savvy shopper

Sainsbury ceo Justin King presented at the summit on the theme ‘Understanding the savvy shopper, our path to growth’​.

King referred to the UK supermarket chain’s joint venture with Danish discounter Netto, which he said would help offer customers part of what they sought: cheaper prices.

Many recent commentators had attributed Sainsbury’s better progress relative to supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons to the fact that it had a clearer message and system of values.

However, he said it was a mistake to believe Sainsbury had weathered the recession well by targeting certain shoppers. Rather, it had courted overall appeal by keeping close to what customers across the UK wanted.

Cheaper prices was part of that equation, he said, but other aspects included healthy eating and ethical, responsible trading. “Customers said ‘ask the questions we would expect you to ask in the supply chain’.”​

Sainsbury had surveyed shoppers about their ethical concerns and, perhaps surprisingly, the number one factor had been how it treated its own staff, said King.