Fastest growth in UK grocery sales for over 25 years
UK grocery sales grew at the fastest rate since comparable records began in 1994, as Britons adapted their behaviour in the national lockdown, industry data said today.
Market researcher Kantar, announced total UK grocery sales rose 14.3% to 31.4 billion pounds ($38.6 billion) in the 12 weeks to May 17. A period which includes both the pre-lockdown rush to the shops in March, and eight weeks of stay-at-home advice from the government.
The rapid shift in grocery sales is down to demand from the out-of-home market, with pubs, cafes and restaurants closed in the lockdown, to at-home food consumption.
In relation to Britain’s top supermarkets, Tesco takes lead as the best performer with sales up 12.7%, followed by No. 2 Sainsbury’s with a 12.5% increase. No. 3 Morrisons’ sales rose 9.8%, while No.4 Walmart-owned Asda had a 6.5% increase.
Kantar revealed shoppers visited a supermarket 3.5 times per week on average, meaning 100 million fewer trips overall than the same month last year, and increased their spending each trip to 27.41 pounds ($33.7) – nearly 50% more than during pre-crisis times.
Source: Reuters