Grocery thrived during festivities
SUPERMARKET sales exceeded expectations over the festive period, according to the latest data from Kantar and Nielsen IQ.
Over the 12 weeks to 26 December, Kantar found that take-home grocery sales reached £31.7 billion, which was 8% higher than pre-pandemic sales from the same period in 2019
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, noted that grocery sales hit £11.7 billion over the month of December alone as “people seized the chance to enjoy Christmas with friends and family.”
Alongside a willingness to spend at Christmas, Kantar recorded grocery price inflation of 3.5% in December, which added nearly £15 to shoppers’ average monthly grocery bill.
Despite this price hike, grocery footfall was high throughout December. NielsenIQ found there were 27 million more in-store visits during the four weeks to 1 January 2022.
Mike Watkins, NielsenIQ’s UK head of retailer and business insight, also noted that stores were winning back footfall, despite strong grocery sales online.
“British consumers are continuing to adopt an omnichannel approach and whilst online allows them to plan ahead, shoppers are increasingly heading in-store for a regular weekly shop as well as for last-minute purchases and we can expect this behaviour to continue,” he said.
