A record 5.9 million shoppers went online to buy food
A RECORD- BREAKING 5.9 million shoppers bought food online last month but there was “limited evidence” of panic buying ahead of the second lockdown, according to new figures.
The latest supermarket data from Kantar showed UK grocery sales jumped 9.3 per cent higher to £ 29.4m during the 12 weeks to November 1 as the number of online customers reached a new high amid the pandemic.
But Kantar said initial figures showed little sign of stockpiling despite the two- week firebreak in Wales and the new lockdown in England, which came into effect last Thursday.
It showed sales increased by 9.4 per cent in the most recent four weeks, similar to the overall rise in the quarter.
But shoppers rushed to snap up Christmas gifts ahead of the four- week lockdown, with Kantar revealing toy and entertainment stores more than doubled their share of pre- Covid footfall between Monday to Wednesday last week.
Kantar also revealed internet shopping hit its highest ever level in Wales in the second week of the country’s two- week ‘ firebreak’ lockdown, now accounting for 16.2 per cent of the market.
It said Welsh shoppers increased their spending by an average of £ 10 during the first week of the lockdown.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “While there was some uplift in Wales, the increased spending did not provide any evidence of stockpiling, and initial figures suggest no sign of panic buying in England either.
“Butone thing isalwaysfrontof mind at this time of year – Christmas – and it seems many people sought to get ahead with gift buying before stores closed.”
The data showed Morrisons – Britain’s fourth biggest supermarket group – was the best performer of the Big Four grocers, with sales up 11.4 per cent over the 12- week period and its market share increasing to 10.2 per cent from 10 per cent a year ago.
Tesco notched up a 9.1 per cent rise in sales as its share held steady at 27 per cent, while Sainsbury’s
sales lifted 7.6 per cent despite its share decreasing to 15.3 per cent from 15.6 per cent a year earlier.
Asda saw the slowest growth of the big chains, at 5 per cent, and a drop in market share to 14.4 per cent from 14.9 per cent a year earlier. But it was Iceland that saw a stand- out performance, with sales racing 17.9 per cent higher as shoppers looked to stock up on frozen food.