Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
But the analyst suggested that British shoppers will accelerate spending as Christmas approaches, spending more this Christmas than last.
It predicts spending will be £6.8bn at UK supermarkets in the two weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, up from £6.7bn in 2020.
Mike Watkins, NielsenIQ’s UK head of retailer and business insight, said: “Whilst our data may show that performance at the big four supermarkets is weaker, we must remember that this is against strong comparatives last year when the nation was in lockdown.
“For example, retailers with a larger convenience footprint may see higher fluctuations in sales.
“Equally a 10% fall in beers, wines and spirits sales across the industry in the last four weeks will have impacted sales at the larger stores of many of the ‘big four’ supermarkets.
“Nevertheless, with two weeks to go, there is still a lot to play for, with special prices from loyalty cards which are the promotional mechanic most likely to encourage shoppers to spend more this Christmas.”
