Lidl makes fresh move as Easter battle begins

The discount retailer is trialling fresh salmon, cod and haddock lines in its store in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. The move is part of a wider move to raise its fresh food offering, including rolling out in-store bakeries across its 585 store-estate. The discounter currently has 170 in-store bakeries and is targeting 300 by the end of the year.

Lidl will also rebrand its fresh meat offer in late April. A promotional drive in stores will put the focus on its British provenance.

The discounter’s plans are set against a backdrop of increasing emphasis by UK grocers on their fresh offering, as the tussle for Easter spend begins in earnest.

Tesco is revamping its fresh produce departments, with dedicated teams in stores. Morrisons is continuing the roll-out of its Fresh Formats concept. Asda revealed this month that it is revamping fish counters in 302 stores.

Asda and Tesco kick-started the grab for Easter grocery spend this week. On Monday, Asda relaunched its £5 off a £40 shop bonus and will run the promotion until April 7. Tesco took press ads for its deal, with shoppers receiving £5 off their next £40 shop when they spend £40 at the grocer.

M&S has also begun its Easter promotions with a £5 off voucher when customers spend £25. Ocado, meanwhile, is hoping to capture Easter spend by creating a series of dedicated pages on its website.

Asda chief executive Andy Clarke said its deal would provide an “additional boost” for shoppers on top of its Asda Price Guarantee. He said last month that the combination had helped it to “win Christmas”.

Kantar Worldpanel data for the 12 weeks to March 18 revealed that Asda enjoyed a record high of 17.9% of the market while Tesco’s share fell to 30.2%, from 30.6% a year earlier. However, four-week till roll data show that Tesco is closing the gap on its rivals with a growth rate of 4.9%.