Supermarkets saw their highest level of transactions in December since 2019, according data and analytics company Kantar. Britons made 488 million trips to the supermarkets over the four weeks to 24 December – 12 million more than last year and the largest number at Christmas since pre-pandemic times. A record £13.7 billion passed through the tills, with the average household spending an all-time high of £477 across the month, an increase of £28 on 2022. Total take-home grocery sales grew in value by 7.0% while the number of items bought rose by 2%.
“As we expected, this Christmas was a whopper,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar. “Friday 22 December turned out to be the most popular shopping day, when just over 25 million trips were made and consumers spent £803 million in physical stores – that’s 85% more than the average Friday in 2023. Online’s share of the market held steady at 11.6%, as nearly one in five households got a delivery in for the big day.”
Grocery price inflation fell to 6.7% in December, its lowest level since April 2022, but many consumers are still feeling the pinch. “The rate of inflation is coming down at the fastest pace we have ever recorded, but consumers are still facing pretty hefty pressures on their budgets,” said McKevitt. “Retailers were clearly working hard during the festive period to offer best value and win over shoppers, and promotions were central to their strategy. Nearly one third of all spend in the four weeks to Christmas Eve was made on items with some kind of offer, the highest level since December 2020 and £823 million more than last year.”
Consumers’ appetite for the traditional Christmas dinner was particularly strong in 2023, with volumes of parsnips, sprouts and potatoes up 12%, 9% and 8% respectively, and chilled gravy up by 11%. Festive meats including pigs in blankets, sausages, hams and, of course, turkeys were also up by 6% collectively. “We’re creatures of habit when it comes to Christmas and our data shows that the classic festive plate remains much the same,” he said.