Better off British consumers have outraced lower income households in visiting food discounters, with as many as 77% of British customers with household income of £50,000 or more visiting the outlets, compared to 73% of those with a household income of £15,500 or less.

Figures revealed by Mintel’s Food and Non-food Discounters UK 2017 Report have shown that 66% of discount shoppers say that food discounters’ premium ranges are “just as good as elsewhere”, with just 7% disagreeing with the statement.

In addition, almost half of food discount shoppers, or 47%, with a household income over £50,000 have bought party items from these stores in the past three months, up from an average of 36% of shoppers.

What’s more, nine in ten consumers, or 89%, shop at discount retailers, with 74% visiting food discounters.

Discounters’ popularity peaks among young consumers, as 93% of 16-24s have visited either a food or a non-food discounter in the last three months.

Food discounters are set to account for £17.2 billion of total discount sales (£26.7 billion) this year, having grown by an estimated 13% in 2016 to reach £15.2 billion.

In terms of overall satisfaction, 75% of those who shop most often at food discounters think that the quality of products available in such stores is as good as elsewhere.

Nick Carroll, senior research analyst at Mintel, said: “High income households are just as likely to shop at food discounters as lower income ones. The post-recession success of leading discount food retailers has been built on a softening of their hard discount roots and bringing in ranges which appeal to a wider variety of consumers.

“A part of this success has been the introduction of more premium ranges, something that is clearly going over well with shoppers.”