BOGOF becomes BOGOFL (or BNFNT)

BOGOFL hasn’t quite got the same ring to it has it - but it’s a development that is being used in the latest round of supermarket wars.

BOGOFL stands for “Buy One Get One Free Later”, and involves the customer receiving a voucher at the till which entitles them to a second product free at a later date.  It is also referred to as BNFNT (Buy Now Free Next Time)

The idea was first announced by Tesco in October as a response to criticism that BOGOF offers created waste as many of the foodstuffs were going off before customers could use the free product.  However, today Tesco’s arch rival Sainsburys, which has seen some positive signs lately, were able to implement the idea before Tesco and launched the offer on two products.

Rated: (5/5), based on 2 reviews

Sainsbury’s and the electric vehicle superhighway

This story seems like a good example of how understanding your customers can help to develop a competitive advantage. Sainsbury’s already claim that they are one of the country’s biggest users of electric vehicles, and are now encouraging their customers to follow their lead by installing vehicle recharging points for customers’ use at eleven of their London stores. They will not charge for the service, which presumably will enable customers to top up their cars for an hour or so while they do their shopping. Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury’s commercial director, said: “This will turn London into an electric vehicle superhighway, giving electric car drivers greater freedom.” According to the company’s press release, almost 70% of harmful particulate emissions in London come from road transport, whereas electric cars have zero emissions when being driven. Electric vehicles result in between 25% and 50 % less CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere and reductions could increase considerably as technology improves. 

Rated: (3/5), based on 1 review

Sainsbury’s and Diageo pitch in to battle

Summer isn’t over yet – still plenty of time to enjoy a few glasses of Pimm’s with friends – or is that a few glasses of Pitchers? Diageo, the giant company that owns Guinness, Smirnoff Vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky as well as Pimm’s (and many, many other brands) is threatening to use copyright legislation to take Sainsbury’s to court, alleging that the supermarket’s own brand ‘Pitchers’ is a copy of Pimm’s. Pitchers is a gin-based summer drink which can be mixed with fruit and lemonade. Does this sound familiar? A little like the way you might mix a Pimm’s, perhaps?

Rated: (2/5), based on 1 review

Snap, crackle and … crumbs? Are cereal boxes toast, now?

Sainsbury’s continue to seek ways to improve their green credentials, and to cut the amount of wasteful packaging on their goods. The Sunday Times reported that they introduced ‘milk-in-a-bag’ – polythene bags containing 2 litres of milk which can be transferred to a jug-style holder, and which have 75% less packaging than the rigid plastic bottles. Their next move has been to take some own-brand cereal out of cardboard boxes, and on Friday they introduced their own brand of Rice Pops in recyclable plastic packets similar to those used for crisps.

Kelloggs say they are considering doing the same, although Nestle have no plans to do so at present. A problem with the plastic bag for cereal is keeping it from being crushed either on the way to the supermarket or on the way home – but we manage to do this with packets of crisps, so presumably we can manage it for cereals as well. Reducing the volume of packaging is certainly to the advantage of the supermarkets, as it cuts the space used per pack in it’s delivery lorries so fewer lorries are needed, cutting both their costs and their carbon emissions.