Careers

Our purpose

We make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day

When John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened the first Sainsbury’s in 1869 their purpose was clear: to provide good quality food at affordable prices.

For more than 150 years, Sainsbury’s has stayed true to these values. People who shop with us know that Sainsbury’s stands for quality, value and service and we are incredibly proud of the business we have built.

Our purpose is more than a guiding principle. It shapes why we exist and how we work across the food system with our suppliers to deliver for our customers, colleagues, shareholders and the communities we serve. It defines how we approach every decision, pushing us to go faster and further as a business, as we put good food at the heart of all that we do.

Our purpose in action

£1 billion

invested in lowering prices over the past four years

75%

of products in our Aldi Price Match are Healthy or Better for You choices

£2 billion

saved by customers through Nectar Prices offers in 2024/25

58%

increase in pay for hourly paid colleagues since 2018

40

new stores opening in 2025/26 to bring the best of Sainsbury's to more people

18.3 million

meals redistributed to communities in 2024/25

  • Making good food joyful

    Sainsbury’s is all about making good food exciting, delicious, affordable and easy to enjoy. Whether it’s a big weekly shop, a quick bite to eat, or a special occasion, our wide range and new products help make every moment joyful.

    Joyful, great quality food is the foundation of all of our Sainsbury's own brand ranges. It’s food that is well-sourced, grown sustainably, improves animal health and welfare and supports communities.

    We have a real passion for innovation. We've more than doubled our rate of innovation since starting our Food First plan and in the last year alone, we added 1,300 new products including 600 in our premium Taste the Difference range.

    Our Taste the Difference range continues to deliver exceptional quality and flavour, helping customers enjoy something truly delicious every day, without compromise. We've grown Taste the Difference sales by more than 50% since the start of our Food First plan, with one in three baskets now featuring a product from the range.

  • Making good food accessible

    We're on a mission to ensure that great food is within reach for everyone, everywhere. 

    Through our largest investment in store expansion in over a decade, we're bringing more choice, convenience, and quality to more communities across the UK. We’re opening 40 supermarkets and convenience stores in key locations and are increasing food space in many of our existing stores, so that more customers can access more of our good food, more often. 

    We recognise that good food isn’t shared equally. One in five people in the UK face food poverty. That’s why, through our Nourish the Nation partnership with Comic Relief, we’ve helped provide over 47 million meals focusing support when and where it’s needed most.

  • Making good food affordable

    We understand how important it is for customers to enjoy great quality at prices they can trust and are committed to offering great value on the products they buy most often. 

    That’s why we’ve invested over £1 billion in prices over the past four years. We want to make good food affordable for everyone, whether that’s through our Low Everyday Prices, Aldi Price Match or Nectar Prices. We're also investing in Stamford Street, our own-label value range, offering customers great value on staple items.

    In 2024 we became the first retailer to extend Aldi Price Match across our supermarkets, convenience stores and online. Today 75% of products within our Aldi Price Match are Healthy or Better for You choices. 

    Customers can also access lower prices on thousands of Sainsbury's products and favourite household brands through Nectar Prices. Since its launch in 2023, it has transformed the way that customers experience value at Sainsbury's.

    People now know that the purple of Nectar means truly great value. Last year customers saved more than £2 billion through Nectar Prices and we now have over 9,000 offers available. 

You might also be interested in ...