UK Supermarket Sales Rise 4.6% as Heatwave and World Cup Lift Online 9.3%

3 articles · Updated · asiantrader.biz · Jun 23

UK supermarket till sales rose 4.6% in the four weeks to June 13, up from 4.2%, after a late-May heatwave pushed grocery-multiple growth to 6.3% in the two weeks to May 30.
That momentum faded quickly in the following two weeks: sales growth slowed to 0.4%, unit growth fell 1.7%, and shoppers spent £490 million less as cooler, wetter weather hit demand.
Promotions accounted for 25% of FMCG sales, up from 23.5% a year earlier, while own-label sales grew 5.4% in value—three times faster than branded products.
Online FMCG sales climbed 9.3%, the fastest-growing channel, helped by rapid delivery reaching 12.8% of online sales on May 26; convenience sales rose 1.7%.
Heat and football viewing also lifted summer and drinks categories—suncare jumped 70%, ice cream 34%, lager sales 7.9% to £411 million—while Ocado led retailer growth at 16.1% and Asda fell 4.9% over 12 weeks.