Supermarket FMCG sales in the UK reached £3.1 billion (just over €4.1 billion) during the Christmas week ending December 26, an increase of 7.4 per cent in value compared with the same period in 2014, consumer insight provider IRI has reported.
According to IRI’s latest retail data, food sales in British supermarkets were up 8.8 per cent to £2.3 billion, while non-food sales rose 3.8 per cent to £789 million.
Figures from IRI’s Retail Advantage had previously revealed that sales had been slow over the first two weeks in December 2015 with shoppers spending 1.6 per cent less in supermarkets than they did in the previous year.
A ‘bounce back’ in the second half of the month saw overall FMCG sales surpass the previous year’s by 1.1 per cent, with food up 1.6 per cent. However, non-food sales were still down 0.1 per cent overall, in line with the long-term trend.
Breaking down the food sector into categories, it was Christmas Cakes, Pies, Puddings and Confectionery that saw the biggest surge in sales between December 12 and 26. Sales of Christmas cakes and puddings rose by 6.3 per cent, and confectionary was up 8.8 per cent.
“There was an extra peak shopping day in Christmas week 2015 compared with last year which helped push up the final week’s sales figures, but the level of growth does provide some good news for supermarkets,” commented Martin Wood, IRI’s Head of Strategic Insight, Retail Solutions and Innovation.
“It shows people are feeling better off at last as wages rise and fuel prices come down, and also that shoppers have not completely abandoned mainstream retailers for the discounters,” he explained.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jenny Whelan. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
