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Tesco sales figures point to recession baby boom
Soaring demand for pregnancy products combined with a drop in sales of contraceptives has prompted a Tesco to predict an imminent baby boom.
Tesco says that sales of folic acid and other nutrients that aid a baby’s development throughout pregnancy have increased by 51%, while condom purchases fell by 9% at its pharmacies in the past year.
The rate of sales is particularly high in Peterborough where sales of pregnancy aids rose by 168%.
Tesco healthcare buyer Joy Wickham said that there could be a link between the increasing demand for pregnancy nutrients and a drop in condom sales, indicating that many couples are now trying for a baby.
She said: ‘The demand for folic acid and other nutrients to help the development of an unborn child has come out of the blue and has hit an all time high in our local pharmacies.
‘What makes the increased demand even more unusual is that we are in the middle of a recession right now and a potential baby boom is perhaps the last thing that one would expect when the purse strings tighten.’
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Readers' comments (1)
vanessa Holleley-Wood | 1-Aug-2009 1:18 pm
Why oh why oh why has this article in a medical journal got a picture of a baby bottle feeding. The job of HVs increasing the breastfeeding stats is hard enough without our own professional organisations not supporting us. The Government are setting targets to increase breastfeeding rates - come on.........give us some support........Artificial feeding is just what it says. Next time put a picture of a baby breastfeeding .or even better .............change this one now!!!!
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Editor's reply
Thanks for your comments which we have taken on board,
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