waitrose avocado

The hot summer has driven sales of dressed salads, avocado and soft fruit at Waitrose.

The supermarket's customer director Martin George reported that in the week ending 4 August, dressed salad sales rose 30 per cent, with avocados up 22 per cent and soft fruit 20 per cent.

The warm, dry weather helped divisional sales at the supermarket rise 3.9 per cent compared to the same week last year.

'As shoppers continue to look for healthy options, we also announced the arrival of new pizza bases made from 35 per cent vegetables,' George added, referring to the development of the '5 A Day pizza crust'. 'The two varieties include a courgette pizza crust and a cauliflower pizza crust, both of which are suitable for vegetarians.

'With the increase in popularity of 'flexitarian' diets and more customers looking for alternative ways to eat fruit and veg, the pizza crusts are a great way of getting more veg into your diet.'