Data from Nielsen for the four week period to 31 December has found that UK grocery retail sales surged in the week leading up to Christmas Eve, up 22% on the same period last year.
“Shoppers left it particularly late this year, not only because there was an extra day to do the big Christmas shop but the mild weather meant there was no need to visit the shops to stock up in advance, which benefited larger stores in particular,” commented Mike Watkins, Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight.
In the final two weeks leading up to Christmas, spend totaled £5.9 billion, Nielsen found.
The simplification of promotional strategies at the main supermarket groups also boosted sales, with the percentage of purchases that went on sales/promotional products dropping from 31% in 2015 to 27% in 2016 – the lowest for six years.
“Stronger communication on price cuts and less complicated promotions helped capture the seasonal and discretionary spend which had been ‘missing in action’ for much of 2016,” said Watkins.
Categories that saw the strongest growth over the period included Confectionery (+9.5%), Beers, Wines and Spirits (+5.7%), Deli/Cheese/Meats (+5.6%) and Soft Drinks (+4.3%), Nielsen said.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
