2016’s early Easter gave a much-needed boost to British supermarkets, according to the latest grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

The three months to 27th March showed the fastest growth the sector has seen all year, with supermarket sales growing by 1.1 percent compared with the same period last year. British customers bought early in preparation for Easter Sunday, with very traditional shopping habits; over half of the population bought hot cross buns, and 15 percent buying a leg of lamb. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, continues: “An early Easter gave the market a sales boost of £152 million compared to last year, adding 0.6% to the overall growth rate. Britain’s love of all things sweet was in evidence, with 63% of households buying at least one chocolate egg during March, spending an average of £12 over the month.”

Sainsbury’s was one again leading the figures, showing that the end of its multi-buy promotions has had little effect on sales; it led the Big Four with a sales increase of 1.2 percent. The Co-operative also had a strong quarter, reaping the benefits of opening its stores on Easter Sunday, as well as Aldi and Lidl, who saw their premium ranges grow exponentially.

Tesco also had a better quarter, with their decline in sales slowing for the fourth month in a row, suggesting that it might be getting back on top of the market. Chief Executive Dave Lewis, who joined in September 2014, has been trying to revive Tesco with a focus on lower prices, improvements to product availability and customer service.

According to Kantar Worldpanel data, shoppers have continued to benefit from falling grocery prices, with like-for-like prices 1.5 percent lower than this time last year.

05/03/2016