Waitrose has launched its first ever meal deal as it battles to win price conscious lunchtime customers.
Shoppers will be able to buy a main, side and drink all for £5 once the meal deal is introduced on August 30.
The new offer includes a range of sandwiches, sushi, salads and wraps, as well as fruit, cereal bars, crisps, juices and smoothies.
Members of the supermarket’s loyalty scheme, myWaitrose, will also be offered a free cup of coffee whenever they purchase the meal deal.
The £5 offer puts Waitrose at the more expensive end of lunchtime options, with standard meal deals offered by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons all priced under £4.
However, the price point aligns with £5 premium meal deals offered by some of these supermarkets which provide lunch goers the choice of more deluxe items.
Jennifer Moscardini, Waitrose food-to-go buyer, said: “We know lots of our customers are heading into our shops to grab something for their lunch, so to be able to offer them a convenient, high-quality and great value meal deal is really important for us.”
Waitrose’s discounted lunchtime deal comes amid a fierce price war in the supermarket sector, with traditional grocers slashing food prices to stop cost-conscious shoppers switching to German discount retailers Aldi and Lidl.
Waitrose announced in February plans to cut prices on hundreds of grocery essentials – including bread, pasta, vegetables and meal – as part of efforts to win back cash-strapped middle class shoppers.
The Royal Warrant holder said it has invested £100m in cheaper items, with nearly a quarter of price reductions being lowered by 20pc.
Major supermarkets are also under pressure to make groceries cheaper, after facing scrutiny over why drops in global commodity prices have not been passed down to customers.
The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year concluded that supermarkets were not profiteering from the cost-of-living crisis, but called on retailers to lower prices where possible.
