13th Jul 11
Sainsbury’s and Jamie Oliver end partnership
by Harry Oldfield
Trying something different: Oliver moving on after 11 years with Sainsbury's
Trying something different: Oliver moving on after 11 years with Sainsbury's
Jamie Oliver’s time as the face of Sainsbury’s has come to an end, after an advertising contract lasting 11 years, which is believed to have earned him over £10m, was severed.
The celebrity chef, an outspoken campaigner on animal welfare and food standards, has appeared in over 100 adverts for Sainsbury’s, offering endorsements which have consistently sparked giant leaps in featured products.
Oliver’s suggestion in 2005 for home cooks to grate nutmeg on spaghetti bolognese – part of the supermarket group’s “try something different” campaign – resulted in Sainsbury’s selling nine tonnes of nutmeg, the same amount as it had sold in the previous two years.
However, the relationship between them has been damaged by a number of perceived altercations. Five years ago, Justin King, Sainsbury’s chief executive, was critical of Oliver’s language in condemning parents that gave children junk food in their lunch boxes.
Oliver then clashed with Sainsbury’s two years later over the company’s alleged refusal to be part of a television debate as part of his TV show, Jamie’s Fowl Chickens, regarding battery bred chickens. He told reporters that it was shocking the people he worked for did not turn up, and said he was really upset. He later sent an open letter to staff of the group apologising for the outburst following a tense discussion with King.
On Tuesday, King paid tribute to the celebrity chef’s work for the company, saying that he had been a wonderful ambassador for the Sainsbury’s brand, fronting their project of offering shoppers fresh and tasty food, at the same time maintaining strong ethical standards. He added that it has been among their most mutually rewarding and successful partnerships ever.
One of the major successes for the supermarket giant was the Oliver-fronted promotion “feed your family for a fiver”, which is believed to have seen a rise of as much as 200 per cent in sales of featured lines.
In a statement prepared earlier, Oliver, who is currently on holiday, said that he would miss the supermarket but that the time was right to move on. In reference to past tensions, he said that the way that the company takes on challenges – such as their commitment to bringing in higher welfare products, like eggs and chicken – is something they should be proud of.
Oliver will continue fronting adverts up until Christmas.
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