‘Picky bits’ on the menu as British shoppers snap up picnic food in heatwave
Consumers also turn to supermarket deals to save money, helping slow grocery price inflation Business live – latest updates Shopping baskets took on a decidedly summery complexion during last month’s heatwaves as consumers filled up on a British picnic staple: picky bits , and grocery inflation slowed. Spending rose on foods such as potato salad, olives and coleslaw, while ice-cream sales also…
During the recent heatwave, British shoppers gravitated towards summery picnic staples such as potato salad, olives, and coleslaw, according to new data from market research firm Worldpanel by Numerator. Sales of these items surged, while ice-cream sales also rose by 26%, and frozen fruit sales jumped by 48%. The annual growth in supermarket prices slowed to 2.1% in the four weeks to 9 August, the lowest rate in nearly two years.
A significant factor behind this slowdown was the prevalence of shopping deals, which accounted for 31.3% of all sales across UK supermarkets, the highest level this year. As temperatures remained high, shoppers also turned to deals to save money, causing grocery price rises to decelerate. Despite a dip in spending after the men's football World Cup in June and July, the average grocery expenditure per shopper was £410 over the four-week period, £14.24 less than the previous period.
The sustained heat drove an additional 6.2 million trips to the frozen food section compared to the same period last year.
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