(qlmbusinessnews.com via telegraph.co.uk – – Tue, 26 June, 2018) London, Uk – –
A run of scorching weather buoyed supermarket sales in recent months as shoppers stocked up on gin, tonic water, soft drinks and hay fever remedies.
Britain’s grocers clocked up combined revenues of £27.1bn in the 12 weeks to June 17, 2.1pc higher than in the same period last year, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel.
Spending on spirits grew by 6pc as shoppers bought an extra 1.7m litres of gin, and soft drinks sales were up 7pc.
Last month was the hottest May since records began, with maximum average temperatures hitting 17 degrees and a record 245.3 hours of sunshine.
Kantar Worldpanel’s Fraser McKevitt said: “Consumers are also feeling some seasonal downsides – sales of hay fever remedies are up 19pc year-on-year… reflecting Met Office predictions of record pollen levels.”
Morrisons led the way among the “big four” supermarket chains with sales rising 1.9pc, boosted by demand for “wonky” fruit and vegetables, which are now bought by 12pc of its customers.
Asda and Tesco notched up growth of 1.8pc and 1.4pc respectively, but Sainsbury’s sales went into reverse, down 0.2pc. All four lost market share, however, as Aldi, Lidl and online grocer Ocado continued to grow ahead of the sector.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK & Ireland, said: “The sun came out in May and our sales trends suggest that the British public decided to take advantage of the fantastic weather, with our most popular items ranging from our fresh British barbecue offer to our gardening tools and bedding plant range.”
Separate figures from Nielsen showed grocery sales were up 1.5pc in the last four weeks, with sales of gin and tonic water up 46pc and 21pc respectively.
By Jack Torrance
