Waitrose cashes in as parents buy ready meals for students

Waitrose said sales of lasagne and bolognese bakes shot up by 328 and 321 per cent respectively last week while sales of Italian ready meals increased by 50 per cent.

It said sales of the traditional student staple, instant Cup a Soup, were also buoyant, with sales of minestrone seeing a rise of 192 per cent, followed by chicken and vegetable which rose by 91 per cent and mushroom by 79 per cent..

Waitrose said both students and their parents were stocking up ahead of the new term.

Total sales at Waitrose were eight per cent higher than this time last year.

Its recently launched budget line Essential saw a 32 per cent increase in jam and cream biscuits while sales of tomato ketchup rose by 20 per cent.

Cereals were also popular, with sales of Essential Waitrose malted wheats rising by 28 per cent and fruit muesli by 21 per cent.

Everyday non-food items also performed well, with sales of six-pack essential Waitrose white kitchen rolls rising by 82 per cent and re-closable bags, up by 90 per cent ahead of the new term.

Essential Waitrose fresh chicken was another star performer last week, driven by 1kg packs of breast fillets which saw growth of 543 per cent, while breaded chicken steaks saw growth of 134 per cent.