Sainsbury's has today announced that it has become the world's largest retailer of Fairtrade products, with annual Fairtrade sales up by around 10 per cent on a year-on-year basis to £218m (€251m).
According to the group, the 800-plus Fairtrade products currently sold in Sainsbury's stores generate an annual Fairtrade premium of US$16m (€11.7m), 'substantially' more than any other retailer, with almost £1 from every £4 going on Fairtrade purchases in the UK spent at Sainsbury's.
'As the world's largest Fairtrade retailer, and a supporter since it was launched 15 years ago, we are extremely proud of our progress,' said Sainsbury's customer director Gwyn Burr. 'Despite the current focus on price and great value, shoppers clearly want to know that producers are getting a fair deal too.
'We believe that Fairtrade is a great way to provide customers with the best of both worlds - ethically sourced products at affordable prices,' Ms Burr added.
As part of the Fairtrade movement, Sainsbury's has made a number of conversions across its major food and drink categories, such as moving all bananas to Fairtrade in 2007 and converting 100 per cent of its own-label coffee and sugar ranges, as well as 95 per cent of its own-brand tea ranges.
'We sell over 650m bananas a year, or 1,200 a minute, which means a total Fairtrade premium to banana suppliers of £3.9m per year benefiting small farmers, farm workers and farming communities,' Ms Burr noted. 'As we add to the number of Fairtrade products we stock, we continue to make an increased impact on suppliers from poorer countries.'
Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said that Sainsbury's was continuing to make Fairtrade part of the UK's everyday shopping habits, showing 'inspirational leadership' in the UK and across Europe.
'We look forward to working with Sainsbury's in 2010 and through the next decade so that together we can tip the balance of trade in favour of disadvantaged producers,' sad Ms Lamb.
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