Sainsbury’s has launched major changes to its Nectar card as the supermarket aims to rival competitors’ savvy shopping schemes.
As of today, the Nectar Prices loyalty scheme has been widened to include discounts on 300 products, including popular Heinz Baked Beans and Nescafe coffee.
As food inflation has hit a record 18.2 per cent, Sainsbury’s CEO says the expanded range of offers is ‘just the beginning’ for shoppers.
The grocer has been striving to compete with rivals in various ways, including its Aldi price-match scheme, and reportedly increased prices slower than other industry stores despite the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis.
Those who utilise Sainsbury’s Nectar scheme will see significant savings while shopping
Shoppers who utilise Sainsbury’s Nectar scheme will see significant savings on a wide variety of items including household products, pet food and confectionery.
Heinz Baked Beans will be discounted by a third, now costing shoppers 95p instead of £1.40.
The price of a 200g jar of Nescafe Gold Blend will be cut by more than half, dropping from £8.10 to £4.
A 24-pack of 330ml Coke Zero that is normally £10 will be available for just £5.
Similar savings can be found on Ariel All-in-1 pods which, with Nectar, are on offer for £5 instead of the typical £10.50.
The supermarket says its Nectar Prices scheme will expand into even more product categories throughout the year.
Shoppers will also find personally tailored offers of up to 30 per cent each week through the scheme’s Your Nectar Prices benefit.
Sainsbury’s purchased Nectar in 2018. But currently discounts are only offered to customers who self-scan their items.
Following the changes, Nectar offers will now be applied when shoppers scan their Nectar card at the till – the same way that Tesco Clubcard prices are applied.
Customers shopping online will have their discounts applied automatically if their Nectar and Sainsbury’s accounts are linked.
Those who don’t already have a Nectar card can access the Nectar Prices scheme by downloading the app and creating a Nectar account.
CEO Simon Roberts told MailOnline: ‘We are delighted to launch Nectar Prices, which will help millions of our customers save more on every trip to Sainsbury’s.
‘There is much more to look forward to, we will keep refreshing Nectar Prices and increasing the variety of products on offer.’
He added: ‘It gets better, Nectar customers who shop in store with SmartShop will receive extra personalised value with Your Nectar Prices, bringing them the best prices on their favourite products.
‘Our customers really are at the heart of every decision we make and we hope they find that Nectar Prices is an exciting way to bring them consistently great value all year round.’
Mr Roberts also noted that the supermarket has been the slowest in the market to increase product prices. He attributed that feat to a £550million investment in value in the past year.
Sainsbury’s has announced major changes to its Nectar card as the supermarket aims to rival competitors’ savvy shopping schemes
Nectar offers will now be applied when shoppers scan their card at the till. Pictured: Self checkout tills at a Sainsbury’s supermarket in England
Changes to the Nectar scheme comes as supermarkets have been accused of using energy costs to pass on even bigger price hikes to cash-strapped shoppers struggling with soaring grocery bills.
Analysts estimate that Tesco made profits of £1.8 billion last year – down from £2.2 billion in 2021 – despite sales that are expected to have risen by about 10 per cent.
This is partly because the grocer, which Britain’s biggest supermarket, is thought to have made less profit on each sale.
Profit margins for retailers across the board have been squeezed by the surge in costs.
Analysts reckon that Tesco will use its clout to restore margins to pre-pandemic levels of more than 4 per cent by raising its shelf prices faster than the costs it faces.
Meanwhile shoppers – also contending with sky-high energy bills – have increasingly tried to save money by turning to cheaper chains such as Aldi and Lidl.
