Sainsburys joins the glut of non-specialists moving into furniture retail

18th June 2009 | furniture | Supermarket giant Sainsburys is to follow rival grocers Tesco and Asda by launching into the furniture and homeware sector later this summer.

The retailer yesterday issued plans to raise a £400m+ war chest to expand into new product areas and increase its store portfolio. It will launch an ecommerce website in its financial third quarter selling some 8,000 product lines across furniture and kitchenware.

Sainsburys has lagged behind rivals Tesco and Asda in moving into the furniture sector, but is understood to believe the time is right to make its move. It is not thought at present that furniture will feature in the supermarket’s bricks and mortar stores.