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"The Beast from the East played havoc with consumers' usual shopping plans. In the run up to and during the cold snap, shoppers stockpiled groceries buying 4% more items than normal, increasing the average value of a trip from
"Warming foods and drinks were the go-to items for customers after braving the snowy weather – sales of hot beverages and tinned soup grew by 8.4% and 27.5% respectively over the past month," McKevitt added.
McKevitt said an early Easter this year compared to 2017 motivated consumers to start their Easter weekend shopping during the month of March. Easter eggs sales rose 69% year-on-year despite average prices jumping by
Sales at German retailers Lidl and Aldi grew around 10% year-on-year in the 12 week period to March 25, with both retailers competing to become the country's fastest growing supermarket chain.
This compares to sales growth for the big four
Meanwhile, Waitrose recorded growth of 1.5% and online grocer Ocado Group PLC of 9.3%. Co-op posted a 0.1% rise in sales, while
Tesco's market share remained steady at 27.6% in the 12-week period. Sainsbury's market share fell by 0.3 percentage point to 15.8%. Asda's market share fell back by 0.2 percentage point to 15.6%, while Morrisons' share fell to 10.4% from 10.5% a year ago.
"Grocery inflation now stands at 2.5% for the 12 week period ending March 25. Prices are rising fastest in markets such as butter, fresh fish and fresh pork, fresh lamb, and are falling in only a few markets, including laundry detergents and ambient cooking sauces," Kantar said.
