Christmas shoppers in the UK spent £200 million on spirits in the first two weeks of December, an extra £7 million compared to the same period last year.
The rise in sales of spirits bucks the trend of overall FMCG sales in the UK, which were down 1.6 per cent in the first two weeks of the month. Food sales were down 1.3 per cent to £3.5 billion while non-food sales were £1.4 billion, a drop of 2.1 per cent.
According to market analysts IRI, beer, wine and spirits sales were up by 3.3 per cent to £630 million, with all major spirits sections showing growth. Its report Retail Advantage showed increased sales in whisky, vodka and gin (5.6%), Rum (2.3%) and sparkling wine (11.6%).
“While consumers get into the spirit of Christmas, literally in many cases, it seems that some of the more traditional Christmas categories are in decline, including cakes and desserts, while Christmas baking items are also down,” according to Martin Wood of IRI.
“This could be down to people taking a more healthy approach to the big day, but it’s probably a little too early to say whether this trend will continue and we expect figures to bounce back during a busy Christmas shopping period this week."
Sales of processed and red meats have taken a hit since the World Health Organisation linked its consumption to bowel cancer, and the trend has continued in the Christmas period. Sales in electronics, music and games are down too as shoppers increasingly move online in these categories.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
