A lack of availability in fresh produce categories weighed on sales growth at British supermarkets in the four weeks to Feb. 25, industry data showed today (7).
Britons have been grappling with a shortage of key salad staples, particularly tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
A hit to supplies from disrupted harvests in southern Europe and north Africa due to unseasonal weather has been exacerbated by British and Dutch farmers planting fewer crops in greenhouses because of high energy costs.
Market leader Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl have imposed limits on how many salad items shoppers can buy at one time and the government has warned that shortages could last until the end of March.
Market researcher NIQ, previously known as NielsenIQ, said total value sales in the fresh produce category grew just 1.1 per cent over the four weeks, with a unit or volume decline of 5.4 per cent.
It said supermarkets struggled to meet demand for tomatoes, where unit sales fell 17.6 per cent and for peppers, with unit sales down 16.8 per cent. However, value sales for lettuce and cucumbers increased 13.7 per cent and 31.8 per cent respectively despite limited availability.
NIQ said overall grocery sales rose 11.1 per cent over the four weeks, masking a drop in volumes when accounting for inflation, which it put at 14.5 per cent. Echoing data from rival market researcher Kantar last week, NIQ said German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl continued to gain market share, with sales up 25.6 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively over the 12 weeks to Feb. 25, partly reflecting new store openings.
It said sales growth at Tesco was 8.7 per cent, ahead of Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) at 8.1 per cent, Asda at 7.8 per cent and Morrisons at 0.5 per cent. Online’s share of the grocery market dipped to 10.9 per cent from 12.4 per cent a year ago.
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