Christmas Shopping Surge: Supermarkets Thrive Amid Online Competition
- Highest December supermarket transactions since 2019
- Record £13.7bn spent at supermarkets in four weeks to 24 December
- Average household spending reached £477, up £28 from last year
- Total take-home grocery sales grew by 7% with 2% more items bought
- Grocery price inflation fell to 6.7% in December
- Sainsbury’s highest market share since Dec 2020 at 15.8%
- Tesco gained 0.1 percentage points, holding 27.6% of the market
- Online shopping share steady at 11.6%
- Ocado sales up 5.5%, market share unchanged at 1.7%
- Friday 22 December saw £803m spent in physical stores, 85% more than average Friday
- Mince pies and Christmas puddings down, fresh cream up by 5%
- Strong performances for supermarkets’ own-label lines
British shoppers made a record 488 million trips to supermarkets during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, with total spending reaching £13.7 billion – the highest since 2019. The average household spent £477, an increase of £28 compared to last year. Grocery sales increased by 7% in value and 2% more items were purchased. Online shopping’s share remained at 11.6%, as one in five households received a delivery for the festive season. Sainsbury’s achieved its highest market share since December 2020, growing sales by 9.3%. Tesco also saw a 7.5% increase in sales and gained 0.1 percentage points of market share. Despite this, Ocado’s online-only sales grew by 5.5%, maintaining its 1.7% market share. Friday, 22 December was the busiest shopping day with £803 million spent in physical stores, a 85% increase from average Fridays. Fresh cream sales rose by 5%, while mince pies and Christmas puddings saw declines of 4% and 7%. Supermarkets’ own-label lines like Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and Tesco Finest experienced a surge in sales, accounting for 5.7% of all grocery purchases.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about supermarket trips, spending, market shares, and product trends during the Christmas season based on Kantar data. It also includes quotes from a relevant source to support its claims.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about supermarket trends and spending habits during Christmas, with data from Kantar. It also includes insights on market shares of major supermarkets and consumer preferences for specific products. However, it lacks a deeper analysis or exploration of the reasons behind these trends and does not offer significant actionable insights.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Supermarkets and related companies
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses the increase in supermarket trips, spending, and sales during the Christmas season, which can impact the financial performance of these companies and potentially affect their stock prices.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article.
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