Cream, custard, champagne drove robust Platinum Jubilee sales: Nielsen IQ

Platinum Jubilee weekend saw robust grocery sales as recent figures show that UK supermarkets topped £2.7 billion in the week ending 4th June 2022- 10 percent above the year-to-date average.

According to data from NielsenIQ, sales at the Grocery Multiples improved £92 million last year, meaning that year on year growth improved 3.5 percent. Compared to sales in the previous week, sales improved by 5.8 percent, which equates to an increase of £149m.

Over the Jubilee weekend, shoppers celebrated with teatime treats and fizz, with sales up for disposable tableware (+56 percent), cream and custard (+48 percent), champagne (+47 percent), dough and pastry (+46 percent), dry pasta (+41 percent), sparkling wine (+40 percent), preserves (+39 percent) and frozen savoury products (+37 percent). 

There was also a significant uplift in sales for baking sundries (+32 percent), chilled soup (+31percent) and noodles (+30 percent).

In terms of category performance, ambient grocery (shelf-stable food) was up +11.6 percent, followed by household and pet products (+7.7 percent), with beers, wines and spirits returning to growth (+7.0 percent). Excluding Christmas and Easter, this is the first time this category has seen sales improve since the week ending 11th September 2021.

NielsenIQ data also shows that impulse sales improved +6.2 percent, led by items such as biscuits (+15.9 percent), confectionery (+11.2 percent), crisps (+11.2 percent) and nuts and seeds (+9.1 percent). However, against last year’s hot temperatures, soft drinks sales declined 1.3 percent. 

With the bank holiday allowing many consumers an extra few days to socialise and enjoy the long weekend, health and beauty sales also improved +5.5 percent and fresh food was up +4.4 percent. Within the fresh food category, there was a particular improvement in sales for bakery (+15.7 percent), dairy (+10.6 percent) and convenience foods (+6.6 percent).

NielsenIQ also noticed a boost in On Premise sales during Jubilee celebrations, that were 5 percent higher than average:

Frozen food sales fell -3.8 percent against last year’s tougher comparatives. There was also a decline in sales for weather related seasonal categories such as suncare, fire lighters, ice-cream, squashes and cordials. Tobacco sales declined -7.8 percent and non food fell by 8.9 percent.

Mike Watkins, NielsenIQ’s UK head of retail and business insight, said, “Whilst the Platinum Jubilee holidays gave a good boost to food and drinks sales, the weekend trading did disappoint.”