Tesco has ended its trial partnership with the In FARM We Trust food concept, just eight weeks after launching the venture.
The company, which this morning reported like-for-like sales across its UK operations were down 1.3% in its first quarter, had teamed up with In FARM We Trust, the Craig Willis-led concept, to open a concession in its Metro store in Goodge Street.
However, Tesco has now closed the business down as part of its plans to concentrate on its core offer. A spokesperson said: “We can confirm FARM will no longer be trading in our Goodge Street Metro. We’ll be looking at how this space can be used to best serve our customers.”
The retailer had pledged to continue to innovate in the capital despite absorbing its London division into its South operation and is thought to be exploring more third-party link ups.
FARM, which previously operated a site in Farringdon and focuses on provenance, featured main meals options such as a pulled pork sandwich, Cornish fishcake and jerk chicken priced at £5.50-£6.
Tesco also has concessions with Burrito Kitchen and Fred’s Food Construction.
Like-for-like sales performance for the company’s combined UK and ROI business was down 1.5%, which it said was an improvement on the previous quarter as customers responded well to the investments it was making across its offer.
UK like-for-like sales declined by 1.3%, an improvement on the decline of 1.7% in the fourth quarter on the same basis, despite significant deflation driven both by the company’s own price investments and by weakening commodity markets.
Chief executive Dave Lewis said: “We set out to serve our customers a little better every day and the improvements we are making are starting to have an effect. We are fixing the fundamentals of shopping to win back customers and relying less on short-term couponing. Customers are experiencing better service, better availability and lower, more stable prices and are buying more things, more often, at Tesco.
“These improvements have come during the restructuring of our office and store management teams, which testifies to the focus, skill and commitment of colleagues across the business. We have also seen an improved performance in our international markets, as we continue to focus on serving customers better. Whilst the market is still challenging and volatility is likely to remain a feature of short-term performance, these first quarter results represent another step in the right direction.”
