UK Food & Grocery Sector Report summary
January 2022
Period covered: Period covered: 28 November – 01 January 2022
Note: This report summary is one or two months behind the current month as standard reporting practice. The content is indicative only and incomplete with certain data undisclosed. Become a member to access this data or take out a free 30 day membership trial now.
Food sales growth rose by 00% YoY, from a 00% uplift a year earlier. Against pre-pandemic levels, Food sales rose by 00%.
This impressive performance was supported by consumers desire to enjoy festivities with family and friends having missed out a year ago due to tighter restrictions.
The emergence of Omicron at the end of November saw the announcement of Plan B restrictions in the second week of December. The reintroduction of working from home guidance meant less people ventured out to hospitality venues, transferring spend to supermarkets.
OpenTable data showed table bookings in Britain in the week to Sunday 19th fell by 00% from the previous week and was 00% lower than a month earlier.
Despite a rapid rise in case numbers, online sales growth remained in negative territory, falling by 00% in December YoY, perhaps reflecting well advanced pre-booking of online Christmas delivery slots. Online penetration fell to its lowest level since April 2020 (00%).
Notably, we saw a return to pre-pandemic trends in December with store visits rising as confidence continues to be bolstered by the vaccine rollout which was in its infancy a year ago.
00 00 more visits to stores were made in December compared with last year according to Nielsen.
Planning for larger gatherings, saw a surge in demand for snacking and party items (Nielsen) compared with a year ago, while mince pies (00%) and chocolate confectionary (00%) also proved popular (Kantar). Demand for Christmas dinner staples was in line with a year ago; however, brussels sprouts were out of favour by households with sales growth falling by 00
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Commodity prices continue to rise
Source: ONS