UK grocery sales rose by 14.3 percent during the 12 weeks to May 17, the fastest rate since comparable records began in 1994, as Britons adapted to the national lockdown, data from market researcher Kantar showed on Wednesday.
Independent retailers have been the standout performers, with sales up by a huge 63.1 percent. As shoppers stayed closer to home and avoided queues at large supermarkets, the combined group of indie retailers increased their market share to 2.5 percent, a figure last seen in 2009.
The period included both the pre-lockdown rush to the shops in March, and eight weeks of stay-at-home advice from the government.
The UK has been in lockdown since March 23 though restrictions are being gradually eased.
Of Britain’s big four grocers, industry leader Tesco was the best performer with sales up 12.7 percent, closely followed by No. 2 player Sainsbury’s with a 12.5 percent increase. No. 4 Morrisons’ sales rose 9.8 percent, while Walmart owned Asda was the laggard with a 6.5 percent increase.
The overall star performer among the supermarkets was the Co-operative, the No. 6 player, with a sales increase of 30.8 percent.
Kantar said that in the most recent four week period to May 17 grocery sales growth accelerated to 17.2 percent year-on-year as the government announced the first stage of easing lockdown restrictions.
In the most recent four weeks, the trend towards fewer, larger shops evident in April continued. Kantar said shoppers visited a supermarket 3.5 times per week on average, meaning 100 million fewer trips overall than the same month last year, and increased their spend each trip to £27.41 – nearly 50 percent more than they did during pre-crisis times.
(With Agencies)
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