The grocery price inflation fell for the seventh month in a row – the lowest rate since July 2022, according to the latest data from Kantar. Take-home grocery sales over the same period rose by 9.1% compared with last year.

The proportion of groceries bought on deal increased to 26.5% in the latest 12-week period, the highest level since June 2022.

The warmer weather last month saw volume sales of ice cream, burgers and dips shot up in September.

The recent data from Kantar shows that Lidl was the fastest growing retailer, with sales up by 15.2% over the 12 weeks, marking the first time the discounter has led the pack since April 2023 and means it now has a market share of 7.6%.

‘PRICES DROPPING’

Tom Steel, strategic insight director at Kantar said that while grocery price inflation was still “very high”, shoppers would be relieved to see the rate continuing to fall.

“For the first time since last year, the prices of some staple foods are now dropping and that’s helping to bring down the wider inflation rate,” said Tom.

“Dairy was one of the categories where costs really shot up last autumn but the average price paid for a 250g pack of butter is now 16 pence less than 12 months ago.”

He added that a jump in the amount of money spent on offers was also helping to offset the impact of inflation.

“Supermarkets are looking at all the different ways they can deliver value at the tills and while the emphasis for some time has been on everyday low prices, the retailers are starting to get the deal stickers out again,” added Tom.

‘SHOPPERS STILL UNDER PRESSURE’

“Spending on promotions made up over a quarter of all sales in the latest 12-week period at 26.5%, the highest level since June 2022.

“Brands have also done well. Branded promotion sales hit their highest rate since January this year, helping the category grow sales by 7.3% across the 12-week period and narrows the gap with own-label lines, which grew by 10.1%.”

Meanwhile, Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy said that while inflation easing was positive, many shoppers are “already struggling to make ends meet”.

“Millions of people up and down the country continue to take extreme measures, such as skipping meals, as their budgets are ravaged by increased household bills,” said Ms Davies.

“Supermarkets have the power to ease the huge pressure faced by shoppers, especially families and those on low incomes, by putting budget range items in hundreds of more expensive convenience stores. Which? research has found that these stores rarely, if ever, stock the cheapest products.”

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Consumer champion, Which? found shoppers could save over £18 on a basket of 40 items in Aldi compared to the most expensive store.

The analysis compares the average prices of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and is carried out on a monthly basis.

A basket of goods in Aldi cost £68.60 on average across the month, with Lidl in second place with a difference of £1.91 (£70.51), widening the gap from last month which was just a 65p difference.

Which? also compares the cost of a larger trolley of 131 items (the original 40 plus 91 more) and found that Asda was once again the cheapest for this shop – a title it has held since January 2020. In May 2023, it cost £332.40 on average for the larger trolley shop.

‘Which? believes the big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges’

The latest pricing analysis demonstrates that consumers can make some considerable savings on their groceries, depending on where they buy their food. However, Which? also found that while some good practices exists in the supermarkets, many of the major ones have not done enough to support their customers during the cost-of-living crisis.

“Which? believes the big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent and comparable pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value,” said Which? Retailer Editor, Ele Clark.

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The latest study by Which? analysed inflation on more than 26,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets, including Tesco, Lidl and Aldi in March to see how everyday product prices are being affected.

Which? put together a basket of food including pork sausages, sliced white bread and porridge oats to find out which of these everyday items have seen the biggest percentage price hikes and work out average prices across the eight supermarkets.

According to the study, porridge oats now cost 35.5% more than in March 2022, the highest average annual inflation of the shopping basket. Semi-skimmed milk and cheddar cheese followed closely behind at 33.6% and 28.3% respectively.

SPECIFIC PRODUCTS

A loaf of large sliced white bread saw an increase of 22.8%, while broccoli (15.4%) and chicken breasts (14.3%) also saw significant increases.

The averages mask some larger increases in specific products, Which? stressed.

Using the example of cheddar cheese, which increased by an average of 28.3% across all the supermarkets in the three months of March 2023, the notable example in their basket was the Dragon Welsh Mature Cheddar 180g at Asda, which went from £1 to £1.80 – an increase of 80% year-on-year.

When they looked at large white sliced bread, the found average increases of 22.8%, however The Bakery at Asda Soft White Medium Sliced Bread 800g went from 56p to 94p – an increase of 67%.

Inflation on pork sausages was 26.8% on average, but the Just Essentials by Asda 8 Pork Sausages 454g went from 81p to £1.40, a 73.5% increase; while the Tesco value version, Woodside Farms 8 Pork Sausages 454g went from 80p to £1.39, an increase of 73.3%.

The Which? analysis covered the average price of the products in the three months to the end of March 2023, compared to the same period last year.

The post Everyday food prices soar as supermarket inflation hits 17.2% first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The magazine’s ranking examined their greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to cut plastic and food waste.

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