Supermarket visits jump as shoppers look to Christmas

The number of shoppers visiting supermarkets jumped last month, industry research published on Tuesday showed, as consumers got an early start on the festive season.

The latest total till data from NielsenIQ showed in-store visits increased 6.5% in the four weeks ending 6 November, equating to 28m more visits year-on-year. As a result, the online share of sales dipped to 12.2% from 12.6% in the previous four weeks.

Total sales fell 2.0% against the same period in 2020, when households were stocking up ahead of the second national lockdown. Compared to the same four weeks in 2019, sales rose 4.9%.

Average spend per visit increased for the first time since July, rising to £18.60.

Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, said: "Shoppers are returning to stores and spending is expected to remain robust for the next six weeks, with Christmas advertising campaigns helping to boost the festive shopping momentum.

"Last year Christmas was effectively cancelled, so this year we can expect shoppers to be spending far more on festive food and drink."

NielsenIQ expects a total of £33bn will be spent across the major supermarkets in the fourth quarter.

Among individual grocers, Tesco’s sales rose 0.4% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to 6 November, boosting its market share by 0.2 percentage points to 26.6%.

It was the only major that reported a rise in sales, however, with J Sainsbury’s sales off 3.1%, Asda’s down 2.4% and Wm Morrison Supermarkets’ falling 4.7%.

Discounters Aldi and Lidl reported strong growth, with sales up 7.9% and 10.3% respectively, boosted by new store openings. Marks & Spencer saw its sales rise 9.1%, "indicating that shoppers are also looking for special treats and indulgences ahead of the festive season", NielsenIQ noted.