Grocery spending reaches new high as inflation jumps to 3.7%
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Consumers made December the busiest month for supermarkets since the pre-lockdown rush in March 2020 despite a jump in grocery price inflation, new figures show. Household spending on take-home groceries hit a record high this Christmas at £460 on average as inflation across supermarkets jumped from November’s 2.6% to 3.7% – its highest level since March, according to analysts Kantar.
The average household made nearly 17 separate supermarket trips last month. Grocery sales surpassed £13 billion over the four weeks for the first time ever, as prices rose fastest across products such as chilled smoothies and juices, chocolate, confectionery and skincare, and fell across dog food, cat food and household paper products.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “In contrast to reports of disappointing footfall across the rest of the high street, it was a very different story in the world of grocery. “As anticipated, Monday 23 December was the most popular shopping day of the year, with sales a whopping 30% higher than any other day during 2024.”.
Sales growth for branded goods accelerated to 4.2% as shoppers splashed out on festive treats, while premium own-label lines jumped by 14.6%. Sales of sparkling wine and Champagne grew by 4.4% to a total of £187 million across the month, but 11% of the population bought a no or low alcohol drink, up from less than 10% last year.
