Member Article

The South takes the savvy shoppers crown

A growing interest in discount retailers saw a record number of savvy shoppers seeking savings online last year - with tens of thousands of customers placing in excess of 114,000 orders and saving an impressive £8.1million, according to the latest figures released by Sheffield-based Approved Food.

According to leading online discount retailer, the latest sales figures show that in England the South took the 2014 savvy shopper crown – placing in excess of 70,000 orders and saving a whopping 5.3million; with the traditionally thrifty North losing the much beloved bargain hunter crown with savings of £1.9million.

But despite the seemingly cavernous gap, the quick ship shop – which delivers straight to their customers doors within one day of an order being placed – reveals that the average saving per customer differs by just £26.

Proud Northerner and Approved Food founder Dan Cluderay said: “We don’t have the same level of density when it comes to population up North, so though it is true that the South have well and truly embraced the chic is cheap ethos, the North have also demonstrated that they have some impressive savvy shopping techniques.

“Because we ship to anywhere in the country via courier our customer base is widespread and incredibly diverse, but the one common vein is that each and every person buying from Approved Food wants value, convenience and quality all year round – so that’s what we offer!”

While the figures showed that the South East took the ultimate crown with nearly 25,000 orders saving a whopping £1.8million, the South West were close behind saving well over £1.7million.

The Midlands came in third with savings of £1.3million on more than 18,000 orders, and the North East combined with Yorkshire a significant £1.1million.

Falling short in the regional savers results; both the North West and London saved only £1.2 million combined throughout the course of 2014; whereas Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enjoyed combined savings of £860k on around 11,700 orders.

Dan said: “There were a few interesting trends this year including an increase in the number of men that were registered with us. We are finding that more now than ever the man of the house is taking responsibility for the weekly shop – reflective of today’s modern family set-up. We have also seen a spike in the amount of deliveries to student houses and many older people are using technology to bag a bargain, based on our demographic.

“In terms of shopping habits, and who buys what, pre-packed baking and dinner kits, olives and dishwasher tablets filled the baskets of the folk down south, whereas their Northern counterparts were stocking up on toilet rolls, tinned tomatoes and cooking sauces.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .