Waitrose customers holding loyalty cards will be able to once again enjoy free hot drinks after two years without the benefit.
The reintroduction of free hot drinks of members comes amid declining sales as customers seek cheaper alternatives to cope with the cost of living crisis.
Waitrose has partnered with Caffè Nero to supply the coffee beans, making it the biggest partnership between a supermarket and a coffee shop brand.
From 7 November, myWaitrose loyalty card holders will be able to claim a free Americano, latte, cappuccino or tea once a day when they shop at Waitrose, with no minimum spend required.
Caffè Nero app users will also benefit and can claim the offer in branches of both retailers.
Non-members can purchase the drinks, with prices starting at £2.25 for tea and £2.35 for coffees.
The offer, which first began in 2013, was scrapped at the start of the Covid pandemic much to the dissatisfaction of many members.
However, the supermarket has decided to restore it following a trial earlier this year.
Charlotte Di Cello, commercial director of Waitrose, said: “Our customers loved the myWaitrose free coffee offer, so we’re really excited to bring it back, with premium beans from The Nero Roasting Company.
Will Stratton-Morris, chief executive of Caffè Nero, said the partnership “feels like a natural collaboration” between the two brands.
It comes after Waitrose posted a five per cent drop in like-for-like sales, to £3.6bn, in September.
Supermarkets are ramping up efforts to keep customers shopping with money-saving perks and schemes to help shoppers deal with spiralling costs.
For example, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer all ran in-café deals for children throughout the summer, according to Grocery Gazette, while Iceland launched a zero-interest loan scheme to support parents.
Data from brand analytics firm Kantar found that shoppers from every major supermarket are switching to discount retailer Aldi in a bid to save money amid soaring inflation.
Aldi welcomed an additional 1.65 million customers in the 12 weeks leading up to 2 October, the data showed, with £260m in sales moving from other retailers to Aldi in the same time period.
