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(Alliance News) - The UK grocery market is easing from the "heady heights" of the lockdown period, data from research agency Kantar showed on Tuesday.
Grocery sales growth was 14% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to August 9, with grocery spend of GBP9.7 billion over the past four weeks making it the lowest since February. However, this still remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
"While things are far from normal, the data shows a gradual softening of the more extreme lockdown trends in the grocery market. The relaxing of rules across much of the country means shoppers are less inclined to stock up their cupboards with regular large trips. That has seen average spend drop below GBP25 for the first time since March. However, at GBP24, it is still a world away from the pre-Covid average of GBP19 per trip," said Charlotte Scott, consumer insight director at Kantar.
The number of supermarket trips was 2 million lower than would have usually been expected in the week after the mandatory face coverings rule was introduced, suggesting shoppers may need time to adjust to the new regulations.
Online shopping hit another record market share in the latest four weeks, with nearly 14% of all grocery sales now via the internet.
Ocado PLC has been a "major beneficiary of this", said Kantar, registering a market share of 1.8% over the past 12 weeks - versus 1.4% a year ago - and surpassing peers to post sales growth of 46% in Kantar's latest report.
Scott commented: "In the latest 12 weeks all of the major retailers registered overall take-home sales growth. However, all bar Ocado saw that growth slow compared with July."
Among the Big Four supermarkets, Tesco PLC's market share was 26.6% in the 12-week period, down slightly on 27.0% a year ago, and it recorded sales growth of 13%.
J Sainsbury PLC took a market share of 14.9% in the recent period, again down from 15.4% a year prior, while its sales grew 11%.
Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC saw its market share strengthen slightly to 10.2% from 10.1% as sales surged 16% - the fastest growth of the Big Four. Walmart Inc's Asda recorded a market share of 14.3%, down from 14.9%, and sales were up 9.5%.
Shares in Ocado were up 0.7% at 2,397.48 pence in London early Tuesday. Sainsbury's shares were down 0.2% at 189.65p, Tesco up 0.6% at 230.20p and Morrisons up 0.4% at 197.05p.
By Lucy Heming; lucyheming@alliancenews.com
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