Supermarkets’ 26-year record
SUPERMARKET sales soared faster in the past three months than at any point in at least 26 years, as the extent of shoppers stockpiling became clear, according to data.
And with improving weather, more shoppers headed to parks and castles for picnics as sales of chilled dips, crisps and fizzy drinks all jumped in the past four weeks, researchers at Kantar said.
The VE Day bank holiday on
May 8 also helped make the preceding Thursday the biggest shopping day of the month with £488million spent on groceries.
Ice cream and alcohol sales were 40 per cent and 50 per cent higher than last year respectively.
Despite the high demand from households stuck at home, the lack of hungry workers in offices and school closures is also offsetting some of the growth, it added.
Kantar found that sales jumped 14.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to May 17 in grocers, including the period of lockdown when restaurants, bars and pubs shut their doors to customers.
Online shopping hit a new peak – accounting for 11.5 per cent of all grocery sales after the Government encouraged families to turn to home deliveries. In more recent weeks, customers are heading back into stores but sticking with bigger weekly shops – a trend Tesco boss Dave Lewis had already revealed he has seen.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “People have been working their way through their store cupboards over the past couple of months and some will now be spending a bit more on each visit to the supermarket to replenish supplies.”
He added: “While these are bumper figures, it remains true that the overall picture for some grocers will be less positive, as supermarkets continue to feel the impact of a considerable reduction in on-the-go spend on meals, drinks and snacks.
“Those categories usually add up to £1billion over the course of 12 weeks and they aren’t included in these numbers.”
Families with adult children have seen the greatest increase in spending, with an average monthly spend of £618 versus £545 last May.