UK shoppers spent £678m more on FMCG at UK supermarkets during the four weeks to 8 August compared to 2019, according to the latest Nielsen figures.

By comparison, store sales rose by £20m, with 97% of the £658m sales generated so far this year was via online.

Over the last four weeks, in-store sales growth overall remained flat at 0.3%, while online grocery growth accelerated by 117%, maintaining its 14% share of all FMCG sales.

According to Nielsen, total supermarket sales were up 7% in the month to 8th August, as shoppers settled into new shopping routines following the lockdown period.

As people continue to work from home and the current summer ‘staycations’ movement in full swing sales grew by 1% compared to in 2019.

Discounters Aldi (10.8%) and Lidl (9.1%) are showing signs of steady growth, driven almost entirely by in-store sales.

Sales of fresh meat, fish and poultry rose by 13% during the period while beers, wines and spirits increased by 20%.

The demand for packaged grocery products rose by 14%, surpassing sales of frozen food (12%) for the first time since April.

Current shopping habits that have developed as a result of the pandemic, in particular shopping online, appear here to stay, says Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight, Mike Watkins.

He said: “Shoppers are still shopping less often than they did prior to the pandemic, visits to stores are down 15% on the same period last year, but up from the 22% decrease registered in May, so there are signs of a willingness to return.

“The shift to online grocery shopping, which looks set to stay, is the most dramatic change of shopping behaviour we’ve ever seen.

Though it has clearly been a positive gamechanger for shoppers and some retailers, it has come at the expense of stores – something that we have already seen in non-food retailing.”