According to new figures, the cost of a typical Christmas turkey dinner has risen 3.4% as sharp inflation pushes food prices up.
According to Canter, the average cost of a four-person Christmas meal, including frozen turkey and all trimmings, is currently £ 27.48.
The numbers show that food inflation rose 3.2% year-on-year in the four weeks leading up to November 28. This is the highest rate since June last year.
However, the data suggest that the British have not yet curtailed spending during the festive season, with supermarket premium own-brand sales such as Tesco Finest and Asda Extra Special being the fastest growing in stores. increase.
According to Canter, overall supermarket sales fell 3.8% in the 12 weeks to 28 November to £ 29.6 billion, compared to the previous year when the second coronavirus blockade boosted grocery trading. became.
According to the data, the average store size has also shrunk by 8% compared to last year as people return to their offices and restaurants and cafes open.
However, grocery spending was still stronger than pre-pandemic levels, up 7% quarter-on-quarter compared to the same period in 2019.
Fraser McKevitt, Head of Retail and Consumer Insights at Kantar, said:
“Price inflation doesn’t seem to undermine their desire to treat themselves or their loved ones.”
He added that consumer behavior has “not caught up” with rising food price inflation.
“The habits of change, such as exchanging branded products for our own brand or looking for promotions, haven’t changed yet,” he said.
The report also showed that online grocery sales were down 12.5% in the four weeks leading up to November 28, down from the second blockade a year ago.
However, McKevit said this could start to rise again in the face of concerns about new Omicron variants throughout the UK.
“Our excitement for Christmas this year has been subdued slightly with the news of the Omicron Covid-19 variant,” he said.
The latest data show that grocery sales declined year-on-year in all major chains.
However, Tesco enjoys the largest market share since February 2019, despite a 1.4% decline in sales.
Market share in the last quarter rose from 27% a year ago to 27.7%.
Sainsbury’s market share fell from 15.7% in the previous year to 15.4% due to a 5.3% decrease in sales. Meanwhile, Asda’s share returned from 14.1% to 14% after a 5% decline in sales.
Morrisons suffered the biggest decline in Big Four Chain sales, down 7.1% and market share down from 10.3% a year ago to 10%.
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