PLENTY IN STORE

Morrisons regains position as fastest grower of the big four supermarkets

MORRISONS HAS regained its position as the fastest growing of the big four supermarkets, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel.

The growth of branded products has outstripped that of ownlabel lines for the first time since May 2015, according to the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks to August 12, 2018.

Heavily branded categories – such as savoury snacks, ice cream and soft drinks – performed particularly well over the hot summer months, helping branded growth of 3.9 per cent overtake that of total own label. This compares to total grocery market growth of 3.5 per cent.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “Consumers’ willingness to spend that little bit extra to fully enjoy the sunshine has helped push brands ahead of their own-label counterparts.

“At Tesco and Sainsbury’s branded growth has outstripped own-labelforawhileand–asthe two biggest retailers in the grocery market – this has contribnon-alcoholic uted to the market shift. More expensive premium own-label lines across the market are still growing strongly though – up 6.3 per cent.

“The grocery market experienced strong growth buoyed in particular by the heatwave. Over July, Brits spent an additional £67m on alcoholic drinks, while beers were cheered on by the sun with sales up 58 per cent compared to this time last year. Soft drinks also increased – up 28 per cent. Meanwhile, Love

Island not only tugged on shoppers’ heartstrings but also their purse strings as men’s skincare products jumped 16 per cent.”

The Co-op continued to feel the summer glow, experiencing its fastest rate of growth in nearly seven years.

Mr McKevitt said: “The last time Co-op saw sales growth of 7.8 per cent it was still benefiting from the acquisition of Somerfield, so its performance is particularly notable this period.

“Consumers’ current preference to shop locally when the sun is shining has helped Co-op attract an additional 263,000 new shoppers through its doors. The retailer also saw the average customer visit 22 times over the 12week period, contributing to a market share increase of 0.3 percentage points to 6.6 per cent.

“With growth up 2.7 per cent, Morrisons regained its position as the fastest-growing of the big four supermarkets. Over the past 12 weeks, Morrisons cut back on promotions and also gained 231,000 new shoppers, 66 per cent of which were more affluent ABC1 customers.”