Market research firm Kantar has reported that sales of cereal bars and fromage frais have lifted as children return to eating packed lunches.
Take-home grocery sales rose by 3% over the four weeks to 1st September compared with one year ago, according to the latest data from Kantar.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, commented: “An Oasis ticket wasn’t the only thing the country was queuing up for this month – several British staples have become even more popular today than they were 15 years ago. We’re buying more oven chips now than the same four week period back in 2009, with a supersonic sales jump of 44% by volume.
“Gravy sales have dipped slightly though, with the proportion of people buying gravy over the month dropping by 8% in comparison to the same month in 2009.”
McKevitt continued: “The demand has picked up once again for lunchbox favourites as summer draws to a close and parents stock up ahead of the new school year. Sales of fromage frais and cereal and fruit bars both lifted by 14%, and chocolate biscuit bars by 12% over the last week of the month.”
Kantar found that retailers and brands “will be waiting to see how the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget could impact household incomings and outgoings”.
McKevitt added: “Despite grocery price inflation easing back to 1.7% over the last four weeks, shoppers’ financial confidence hasn’t risen with it. Memories of the last two years remain strong, with nearly 60% of shoppers still very or extremely concerned about rising grocery prices. This is their second biggest financial worry, only behind home energy bills.
“Retailers have been doing their bit to help shoppers keep the cost of the weekly shop down, and the proportion of sales on promotion increased year-on-year for the 16th month in a row in August. More than half of all grocery trips include some kind of deal, and this proportion rises as the trolley gets bigger.”
Retailers continue to experience sales growth
Online retailer Ocado was the fastest growing grocer for the seventh consecutive month, with Kantar reporting that it had delivered its quickest rate of growth since May 2021 with sales up by 12.9%. This placed it ahead of the total online market, which expanded by 4.4%, and the retailer’s market share increased by 0.2% to 1.8%.
Lidl’s sales were 9.1% higher than a year ago, with footfall in August reportedly boosted through digital vouchers for bakery items. It now accounts for 8.0% of the grocery market, having won share every month since April 2021. Spending through fellow discounter Aldi’s tills also rose by 1.3%.
Tesco now takes 27.8% of sales, an increase of 0.6% since last year and its highest stake since January 2022, earning the supermarket the title of ‘Britain’s largest retailer’.
Sainsbury’s market shared increased to 15.2%, while sales there increased by 5.7%. Asda’s share was 12.6%, while Morrisons held 8.5% of the market.
Sales at Waitrose increased by 4%, which Kantar said was ahead of the wider market, while its share of spending stood at 4.6%. Iceland grew sales by 4.4%, with its market share remaining at 2.3%, as Co-op took 5.9% of sales.
