Global market research firm NielsenIQ (NIQ) has released its Total Till data for the four weeks ending 17th May 2025, finding that sales growth had decreased to 3% from the previous month’s 9.6%.
According to the Total Till data, the lower growth can be attributed to shoppers spending less on groceries after treating themselves over the Easter holidays. Unit sales at the Grocery Multiples fell by 1.4% compared with a year ago. This change in spending has been seen across in store and online formats and FMCG spend per visit fell (-4.2%) to £18.20. The number of items in the shopping basket also fell compared to last year, which the firm said was “indicative of a cautious consumer faced with rising household bills” since April.
NIQ highlighted that in-store visits are up 7% compared to this time last year, as shoppers took advantage of ongoing retailer promotions. It said that 23% of FMCG sales were on promotion, down slightly from the five-year high at Easter but is helping consumers save more at the checkout. NIQ data also revealed that 41% of households said that loyalty card promotions influence where they choose to shop, which also helped to drive the increased frequency of visit to stores.
Online sales decreased by 1.7% on the year and online share of grocery sales fell to 12.3%. NIQ said the number of orders continued to increase, but the average size of order is getting smaller and the number of British households shopping online every four weeks has “plateaued” this year at 27%.
“Consumer confidence improved a little in May but it is still negative (-20 according to GFK), and shoppers are uncertain about their personal finances.”
The fastest growing super categories were meat, fish and poultry (value sales +8.4% and unit growth +1.5%) signifying continued shopper habits to prioritise healthier options and enjoy home-cooked meals. Warmer weather and sunshine also led to ice cream value sales going up 13%. Sales fell across packaged grocery, where value sales decreased by 1.5%.
Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NIQ, said: “There has been a reset in spending in recent weeks despite the continued good weather, which is indicative of a change in shopper behaviour after Easter. Shoppers are still prepared to indulge but are holding back spending on some categories such as household, pet and also some frozen foods.
“Consumer confidence improved a little in May but it is still negative (-20 according to GFK), and shoppers are uncertain about their personal finances. The settled warmer weather gave retailers a boost as shoppers were able to plan more outdoor activities and enjoy alfresco dining, as well as bring forward spend on fresh foods and drinks. However, with shop price inflation in food starting to move up (+2.8% in May, NIQ BRC) we expect Total Till value growth to now remain at around 3% in June.”
