Sainsbury's shoppers 'gutted' as popular dessert range quietly axed
Fans might not be aware after the supermarket quietly confirmed the news in an online post
Sainsbury's shoppers have been told not to expect a popular dessert range to be seen in store any more. The news was confirmed after a curious shopper posed the question online and was told about the supermarket's decision.
Patisserie Valerie is a British café and bakery chain that sells cakes, pastries, and continental-style desserts. Sainsbury's and Patisserie Valerie partnered as early as 2017, and the company's cakes and gateaux were available in a handful of bakeries before rolling out to hundreds of stores nationwide.
It sold some of the brand's most popular treats, including the Salted Caramel and Chocolate Bombe, Strawberry Gateau and Baked Cheesecake Slice, alongside celebration cakes such as the Triple Chocolate Delight. But, the cakes are set to become non-existent, at least in supermarket stores.
A user called @Paigemwhitehead took to X to ask: "@Sainsburys do you still sell Patisserie Valerie range?" The official supermarket responded with: "Hi there, unfortunately, this range has been discontinued."
Another shopper also found out that the dessert range was being scrapped from stores. They wrote: "Oh no! The Patisserie Valerie counter in Sainsbury's has gone! #gutted"
Searching on the Sainsbury's website offers no results for the sweet treats. If you do manage to find the page via Google, the cakes are listed as 'out of stock'.
However, shoppers do not have to miss out completely. Patisserie Valerie runs standalone cafés and delivers cakes across the UK through its online service. However, the convenience of popping into your local Sainsbury's will no longer be an option.
The decision comes after the supermarket announced it would be closing its remaining patisserie, hot food, and pizza counters by early summer. The move comes as Sainsbury's attempts to streamline the supermarket shopping experience for its in-store customers.
According to Ceres, Sainsbury's bosses are making these moves as a "cost-cutting initiative aimed at simplifying its operations". It is part of a wider strategy that goes beyond just axing some items for sale.
Sainsbury's is also trialling its version of scan and shop, which is already common in Asda and Tesco. Only two supermarkets are involved in this test, which sees customers without a traditional checkout lane.
Instead, customers simply need to pay before printing the receipt or having one emailed to them. Shoppers then return the handset to the designated SmartShop ports and leave.
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