Sainsbury's aims to bag more non-food business with revamped web site

Retailer wants product availability and choice to exceed what is in its stores

Sainsbury's revamped site features a price-comparison tool

Retail giant Sainsbury’s has unveiled a major web site revamp, which sees it introduce a new non-food range online.

The retailer will initially stock 4,500 products ranging from toys to clothing and garden furniture, with 70 per cent of the range available exclusively on the web.

Sainsbury’s will aim to offer greater choice and availability in non-food than what is in its stores. It will also monitor its rivals closely for competitive pricing and encourage customer reviews online and more engagement through the channel.

By September, it is understood the retailer will stock 8,000 non-food products online, including children’s clothing and high-tech items.

Other innovations of Sainsbury’s new e-commerce offering include a price comparison feature and an "expert advice" tool aimed at purchasers of high-tech products.

“[The launch] further emphasises that non-food is key to Sainsbury’s growth strategy for the future," said Mike Coupe, Sainsbury’s trading director.

"We already cover 88 per cent of households with our online grocery deliveries, and our research shows that our customers want to buy non-food items from us too. So we believe this is the right time to build on the success of our existing online presence.”