Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
Latest results are as follows:
| Latest 52 weeks | 52 weeks year ago (comparable period) | 52 weeks YOY change | Latest 12 weeks | 12 weeks year ago (comparable period) | 12 weeks YOY change | |
| Total out of home GB occasions | 3.648bn | 3.319bn | +10% | 862mn | 910mn | -5% |
| Total out of home GB Value | £21.548bn | £17.444bn | +24% | £4.983bn | £5.103bn | -2% |
Key grocery points include:
- The multiples (+18%) and the discounters (+19%), with their more affordable food-to-go offer, remain the clear winners. Forecourts are also performing well (+21%), although convenience stores are in decline (-16%).
- Value sales are up +24% on a 52 week/MAT but have declined by -2% on a 12-week ending basis versus 2021. The decline in the last 12 weeks is surprising given the current high inflation (Consumer Prices Index was 10.5% in December, source: ONS)
Commenting on the results, Tom Fender, development director at TWC, said: “From our data on consumers’ needs and missions, we know that for some time ‘something inexpensive’ has been a key growth driver, and this is also reflected in the outlets which are performing most strongly: the multiple grocers and the discounters.
“In these outlets, it’s possible to buy a food-to-go meal deal for under £4, in many cases less than this time last year, as retailers including Tesco and Co-op have introduced reduced prices for loyalty card holders.”
“With the cost of doing business sharply increasing, we must consider how sustainable these promotions are, and certainly it makes it hard for independent outlets to compete on price alone. With consumers also prioritising quick and easy solutions and ‘something sweet’, these could be other levers to pull.”
