Shoppers shedding their sweet tooth since start of 2022: Kantar
Shoppers are losing their sweet tooth this spring, with sales of take-home confectionery down 19% in the latest 12 weeks, according to Kantar.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland grocery sales have dropped by 6.7% in the 52 weeks to 20 March 2022, according to Kantar.
As prices rise across the board, grocery inflation for this period stands at 0.8%.
“We are seeing people return to more typical shopping patterns as we start to emerge from the pandemic,” Emer Healy, Senior Retail Analyst at Kantar, said.
“Shoppers in Northern Ireland are making more frequent trips to the supermarket, with visits up 0.7% as they get out and about again. With restaurants and cafés back open for business, shoppers are cooking fewer meals at home and buying a lot less when they’re in store.
“There’s been an 8.3% decline in the number of items in people’s trollies. Now that shoppers aren’t looking to treat themselves at home as much as they did during lockdown, we’re seeing a steep decline in sales of take-home confectionery which have dropped by 19% in the latest 12 weeks.
“Northern Irish shoppers are freshening themselves up to return to socialising and getting ready for some spring cleaning too. Sales of personal care products like deodorant and shampoo have increased by 5.8% over the past three months. Household cleaning products including bleach and surface cleaner have also seen a boost in the same period, with sales up by 2.1% as shoppers keep an eye on health and hygiene.
“Tesco remains top of the table as Northern Ireland’s largest grocer with a market share of 36.0%, and, while sales dropped by 6.1% compared with last year, the grocer registered 4.6% growth against early 2020. Sainsbury’s holds the second biggest slice of spend and a 16.9% share of the market.
“Asda’s market share stands at 16.3%. With a 7.0% market share, Lidl is the fastest growing retailer and the only grocer to achieve growth year on year.”
