Waitrose and John Lewis have released a joint report which outlines how the nation has lived, eaten and shopped during the last six weeks since the lockdown was enforced.
The retailers highlighted how life has changed dramatically with most people having to adapt to new ways of living – whether working from home, homeschooling their children, and planning their meals for the week.
The study confirms that people have been filling their days with exercise, hobbies, board games, and beauty treatments at home.
A consumer survey found that 45% of people have eaten differently during lockdown. This includes being more organised and planning meals, to using more store cupboard ingredients and snacking more. Waitrose has also seen people trying more unusual meals with its website seeing a big increase in searches for other cuisines including Japanese and Thai.
People are also enjoying more ‘comfort food’ at home, whilst of those who drink alcohol, 25% are drinking more since lockdown and 21% are drinking less.
Waitrose confirmed that it has seen similar trends reported by other supermarkets. Basket sizes in its stores doubled in week two when it introduced social distancing measures, while total customer numbers and shopping frequency fell. In week five, full trolley shops were up 56% compared to the same week last year, while single, meal-focused shops were down over 70%.
Experts quoted in the report predict what changes might stay around in the longer term after restrictions are eased. These include the move to online, creating restaurant experiences at home, and supporting British producers.
“The past few weeks have been unlike anything any of us have ever experienced,” said Simon Coble, director of general merchandise at John Lewis.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every part of our lives, from how we communicate to how we live day-to-day, and even how we keep our children entertained. This time at home has in some ways brought people closer together, providing that extra time to call a loved one or spend precious quality time with the family.”
