The value of Finnish grocery sales in July 2017 was €1,490.3 million, which represents an increase of 1.3% compared to the same period last year, according to Päivittäistavarakauppa- the Finnish Grocery Trade Association.
Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages decreased by 1.5% compared to June 2016, while prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 3.8%.
Small supermarkets experienced the highest level of growth last month, with sales increasing by 5.3% compared to June 2016. Sales in large supermarkets increased by 4.4% and in hypermarkets by 1.5%. However, sales in small retail stores decreased by 2.9%, while supermarket sales declined by 7.9%.
Steady Growth
For the year so far, from January to July 2017, grocery sales have increased the most in large supermarkets, up 3.8% year-on-year.
Sales in small supermarkets have grown by 2.2% and in hypermarkets by 1.5%. Overall, sales were down in retail stores (-4.7%) and supermarkets (-4.3%).
"It is pleasing to see that grocery sales continued to grow steadily, slightly over one per cent in July," Kari Luoto, managing director of Päivittäistavarakauppa. "However, consumers' purchasing power needs more support. The government can have an impact on households and domestic markets by effectively avoiding tax increases."
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
