UK shoppers stocked up on mouthwash, shoe polish and hair products as households were once again allowed to socialize.
New data from analytics firm Kantar indicates that people have started to revert to their pre-pandemic shopping habits, taking more regular trips rather than a weekly department store.
Overall supermarket sales are down slightly from a year ago, when the first wave of Covid-19 saw panicked purchases of essential items.
Sales in the 12 weeks leading up to May 16 fell 0.4% to £ 31.3 billion, but remain £ 3.8 billion more than before the pandemic.
Co-op and Icelandic supermarkets suffered the largest sales decline, with Lidl and Aldi enjoying the largest increases.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “As the lockdown gets easier, people are going back to more normal ways and we can see it reflected in product sales. grocery store.
“Many of us around the same time last year ate all of our meals at home, so we bought extra food and drink.
“Now we are seeing a drop in take-out grocery sales compared to 2020, as people can eat in restaurants, pubs and cafes and can again buy food on the go, like having a sandwich, for example. , during their travels. at week-end.”
Shoppers also felt more confident as they headed back to stores, with 58 million more supermarket visits compared to May last year, with the strongest growth in London, where travel increased by ‘A quarter.
The average basket size per store has fallen for three consecutive months to £ 22.82 – the lowest level since before the pandemic and the restrictions.
Online grocery shopping also fell from 13.9% of the sector’s total spending to 13.4% – although it remains higher than before the crisis and the number of customers going to independent stores and retailers. convenience stores also declined.
Additional reports by the PA
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Source: www.independent.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-25 13:25:55
