THE lockdown of the north’s hospitality sector saw shoppers spend an extra £100 million on alcohol in supermarkets in the run up to Christmas, new research suggests.
Data company Kantar said the Northern Irish grocery market grew by 12.9 per cent in 2020, with shoppers visiting supermarkets 18.5 fewer times, with basket sizes rocketing by 17 per cent.
The value of grocery sales accelerated in the 12 weeks leading up to Christmas, with spending 14.8 per cent higher than in 2019.
The analysis showed spending on turkey, lamb and beef fell in the lead up to Christmas, with the Covid-19 restrictions resulting in fewer seats around tables.
Kantar said shoppers here spent less on things like cheese, cakes, seasonal biscuits and smoked fish. Instead, we opted for ice cream, crisps, chocolate, sweets, and nuts to see us through a covid Christmas.
But it was wine, beer and cider where shoppers in the north really went to town, with sales surging by 36.7 per cent in the lead up to Christmas.
Kantar said this splurge on booze added £100m to the total grocery market spend.
The data company’s analysis showed that the big winners in 2020 were local convenience shops, pharmacies, butchers and Lidl.
The category of ‘total symbols’, which includes the likes of Spar and Centra, saw a 24 per cent rise in the value of sales, while ‘other outlets’, which includes pharmacy chains and butchers, saw a 19.4 per cent rise.
Kantar said Lidl managed to recruit more shoppers against the trend, with spending up 19.7 per cent.
Tesco maintained its hold as the north’s biggest grocer, enjoying a 35.2 per cent share of the market in 2020. Nine-in-ten households visited Tesco in 2020 according to Kantar, spending an extra 11.7 per cent on 2019.
Sainsbury’s saw the value of sales rise 12.8 per cent, while Asda enjoyed a 8.3 per cent bump.
