Business

13 per cent surge in grocery sales as latest lockdown shuts hospitality

Although trick or treating was severely restricted this year because of Covid, shoppers spent an additional £5.3 million on confectionery and £4.4 million on soft drinks in Northern Ireland, according to Kantar
Although trick or treating was severely restricted this year because of Covid, shoppers spent an additional £5.3 million on confectionery and £4.4 million on soft drinks in Northern Ireland, according to Kantar Although trick or treating was severely restricted this year because of Covid, shoppers spent an additional £5.3 million on confectionery and £4.4 million on soft drinks in Northern Ireland, according to Kantar

THE Northern Irish grocery market grew by 12.9 per cent in the last 12 weeks as cafés and restaurants closed during the circuit breaker lockdown announced in mid-October.

And according to latest figures from Kantar, Tesco was the biggest beneficiary, with sales up 10.7 per cent year on year as shopper trip volumes rose by 16.2 per cent, contributed an additional £177.9 million to the chain’s overall sales.

It was a similar story at Asda and Sainsbury’s, which increased sales by 5.4 per cent and 10.2 per cent respectively.

Both retailers’ customers added additional items to their weekly shops as people ate more meals at home, boosting trip volumes by 22.1 per cent at Asda and 9 per cent at Sainsbury’s.

Lidl was top of the table as the strongest performing retailer once again this period – growing ahead of the market at 14.8 per cent over the 52 weeks and gaining 0.2 percentage points in share.

Significantly larger trips, with volumes up 18.3 per cent, contributed an additional £35 million to Lidl’s overall growth. It was also the only retailer to welcome new shoppers through its doors this period and added £1.9m to its total sales.

Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, said: “While trick or treating was off the table this year, shoppers still managed to enjoy the festivities and indulge their sweet tooth.

“In the latest 12 weeks, shoppers spent an additional £5.3 million on confectionery and £4.4 million on soft drinks.”