It has been suggested that Waitrose is considering dropping Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal when their multi-million pound three-year contracts come to an end.
The pair were the only celebrities to be used in a supermarket Christmas advert this year, with Tesco, Morrisons and Asda choosing instead to portray ‘regular’ family Christmases.
A recent survey by Netmums found that only four per cent of those surveyed thought that the use of celebrities was a factor in making a perfect Christmas ad.
An insider told the Daily Star that the firm wanted to move away from celebrity endorsements and make the food the focus.
The source said: “Heston and Delia have done a brilliant job for Waitrose and they have really raised its profile across the UK.
“But there was a feeling that future ad campaigns should focus more on the quality of the food available and not on the celebrities.”
When asked by The Drum, Waitrose failed to deny the reports.