Waitrose recently announced the introduction of “Wellness Bays” – bringing together products across collagen, creatine, hydration, protein and gut health – to 52 stores. The supermarket will also offer these products online and via on-demand.
Data from YouGov Profiles highlights the rationale behind Waitrose’s move. Compared to the public, the supermarket’s customers are more likely to express agreement with a range of health and wellness related attitudes. Some 80% say they aspire to the idea of being fit and healthy, a slight uptick on the proportion of Britons who say the same (76%).
Across a range of areas, Waitrose customers are more physically active than the nation as a whole. For instance, they are more likely to agree that they exercise weekly (68% vs. 60%) and that it’s important to be active in their spare time (67% vs. 56%). They are also more likely than Britons overall to agree that keeping track of athletic performance helps them set and stick to goals.
Waitrose customers may be uncommonly receptive to the idea of buying health products during their weekly shop. They are more likely than the country as a whole to consume healthily, and to try and get their five a day (63% vs. 54%). This group are also more likely tosay that diet is a part of their overall fitness (54% vs. 48%) and that probiotics build their immune systems (52% vs. 47%). Finally, Waitrose shoppers say they have ought nutritional supplements recently in higher numbers than the general public (65% vs 54%).
Of course, we might expect these differences on some level, given that Waitrose is more likely to be located in higher-income areas. But Wellness Bays may also attract customers from other supermarkets. Looking at the favoured grocery retailers of Britons who aspire to be fit and healthy, M&S tops the list (57%), followed by Tesco (51%), Sainsbury’s (50%), Aldi (50%), and Lidl (46%), with Waitrose in fifth place.
The bays could also help the Waitrose appeal to its former customers, four in five (79%) of whom aspire to be fit and healthy. These erstwhile shoppers’ most popular supermarkets are Tesco (55%), Sainsbury’s (45%), Aldi (35%), Lidl (32%), and M&S (31%).
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Scores are reported as net scores from –100 to +100 / percentages, based on daily surveys of UK adults. Data is weighted by age, gender, region, social grade, and ethnicity using a raking methodology.
