Shoppers in the UK spent £160m less in supermarkets this Easter compared to 2019, despite sales going up by 8.9% over the week compared to the same period last year, reveals latest data from Nielsen.
Even though Easter sales fell, analysis of the seven days ending 11 April shows that consumers were still looking to celebrate the bank holiday weekend outdoors in their gardens. Sales of bulbs and seeds grew 128% and hayfever medication was up 139%. Nielsen also saw a significant increase in sales of beers, wines and spirits, which increased by 29% compared to the same week in 2019. The key drivers in this category came from the drinks many would have enjoyed over a bank holiday weekend in a pub garden, such as cider (77%), stout (73%) and lager (67%), as shoppers took the pub experience home. Moreover, accompanying mixers were up by 60%.
The data also shows that in the week ending 11 April, UK shoppers spent £275m more than the previous week. While shoppers continued to limit their shopping trips, after two weeks already spent in lockdown, many needed to restock on the essentials, such as frozen food (+32%) and ambient groceries (+27%). However, it appears consumers weren’t just limiting themselves to essentials. As ‘lockdown’ became the new normal, customers looked to treat themselves, with impulse goods – such as chocolate and other snacks – increasing for the first time since ‘lockdown’ began. Chocolate, a typical Easter treat, was up by 46%, while impulse purchases across the board grew by 18%.
As consumers become more settled into life in restricted living, Nielsen’s data shows that shoppers are continuing to seek out products and activities to keep themselves and their households entertained. Sales of computer games and software were up 140% versus the same week in 2019, top of the growth list for the third consecutive week.
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight at Nielsen, commented: “Looking ahead, we can expect weekly growths to begin to stabilise in a few weeks, though it’s evident that purchasing at supermarkets here in the UK and across Europe will be affected by how soon bars, restaurants and cafes reopen, and the extent to which consumers flock back to them.”
NAM Implications:
- Apart from the circulating jokes, who really noticed Lockdown Easter?
- Coinciding with the emergence of the super-savvy consumer.
- Meanwhile, proactive NAMs are not holding their breath in anticipation of anything like a sizable return in terms of hospitality…
