Retailer Co-op announced it is making the shift to 100% British strawberries in its stores in advance of the Coronation Bank Holiday and royal celebrations.
Sales of more than 500,000 punnets of strawberries are expected during the lead-up to the events, and Co-op is preparing its 2,400 stores across the UK for the rush. The Coronation of King Charles III is taking place on Saturday, 6th May.
“We’re all looking forward to celebrating with friends and family over the Coronation weekend and what better way than with a British classic of strawberries and cream,” Mark Cloudy, Co-op Buyer, said. “We’re devoted to supporting British growers and are thrilled to be offering British strawberries to our customers in time for the Coronation. The first British strawberries to hit the shelves reminds the nation that the highly anticipated summer is on its way and what better way to celebrate the occasion.”
Co-op officials say they could see as many as 89 punnets sold per minute, which would give the retailer a 25% boost over sales at this time last year.
The homegrown strawberries from Hereford and Kent will be on sale for £2.25 per punnet.
Strawberries have been a big topic of conversation recently – not just because of anticipation of summer events, including Wimbledon – but also because of a report in last week’s Telegraph. In it, it detailed how “shrinkflation” and the rise in costs of production are impacting the size of punnets appearing in British supermarkets.
