Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 2

Finding that customers are returning all their single-use food packaging to stores, Sainsbury's trial a recyclable alternative to the plastic bags used for fruit and vegetables.

It鈥檚 Easter and the biggest sales opportunity for supermarkets after Christmas. We meet Sandy and her supply chain team who have the difficult job of deciding exactly what to stock in each store and in what quantity. They base their decisions on a multitude of factors, including past consumer behaviour, current trends and up to the minute weather forecasts. With the British weather as unpredictable as ever, the supermarket needs to decide whether customers will be opting for the traditional roast this year or heading outside for a barbecue. A last-minute change in the forecast sends the team into a flurry of action to try to secure the extra stock needed before other retailers get there first.

Every year UK supermarkets generate 59 billion pieces of single-use plastic. While Greenpeace stage a demonstration at Sainsbury鈥檚 head office, the supermarket鈥檚 lab that deals with complaints is receiving more and more plastic through the post from unhappy customers. This episode follows the innovation team as they attempt to find a recyclable replacement for the plastic bag used to carry loose fruit and vegetables. As it is launched across the country, are customers ready for such a change in shopping habits?

At the clothing headquarters in Ansty Park near Coventry, it might only be April but plans are already under way for this year鈥檚 festive wear. With the high street more competitive than ever, designs are being drawn up to cater for a new customer, the family dog. But with canines coming in all different shapes and sizes, it鈥檚 not as simple as one size fits all.

58 minutes

Last on

Tue 23 Jan 2024 14:15

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Joanna Scanlan
Director Chris Taylor
Series Producer Anoushka Roberts
Executive Producer Michele Carlisle
Executive Producer Will Smith
Production Company ITN Productions

Broadcasts

Order a FREE Open University poster and discover more about supermarkets

Learn more about supermarkets and retail with The Open University.