Total supermaket till sales grew in October as Halloween, half-term and grocery stock-ups helped lift spending.
That’s according to the latest data from analysts NielsenIQ (NIQ) and Worldpanel by Numerator, who both released their latest figures for October this week.
Ambient grocery sales surged by 10.6% in the final two weeks of October, while Halloween celebrations boosted demand for confectionery, snacks and pumpkins.
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NIQ’s latest data showed that sales momentum strengthened throughout last month, with growth reaching +4.1% in its final week. This helped drive unit sales growth to +1.5% over the four-week period, the strongest performance recorded this year outside of Easter.
Be ready
But one other factor influenced October’s figures as well, according to Worldpanel. It said sales of essential supplies jumped in the ten days from 22 October, after the launch of the Government’s Be Ready public awareness campaign, which encourages households to prepare for up to three days in the event of disruption to essential services.
Worldpanel’s figures also found that, in the ten days after the campaign was launched, sales of hand sanitiser increased by 83% when compared to the corresponding period last year, with sales of bottled water (+67%) and tinned and jarred goods (+37%) also rising.
In addition, the number of people buying tinned meat each day following the launch of the campaign rose by 43% - equivalent to an extra 400k shoppers a day - yet the typical amount bought remained at around 500g in terms of pack size.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said: “Shoppers clearly took notice of the Be Ready campaign, but this wasn’t panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October.”
Don’t panic
McKevitt continued: “Growth came from more people adding the recommended items on the Government’s checklist to their weekly shop, not from shoppers piling their trolleys high, which is very much in line with what the Government wanted.”
NIQ added that rising energy and fuel costs are also continuing to put pressure on household budgets. While shoppers remained mindful of their spending, the half-term holidays and Halloween provided a welcome boost, as families embraced seasonal celebrations while continuing to seek value.
NIQ also noted pumpkins were a standout seasonal purchase, with unit sales growing +8% year-on-year, highlighting the importance of affordability in encouraging Halloween spending.
Impulse figures
For impulse, NIQ said that the category recorded value growth (+5.4%), supported by the demand for sweets, chocolate sharing multipacks and snacks.
While the value sales of multipack confectionery were broadly flat (-0.5%), unit sales increased (+4.5%), suggesting shoppers were buying more packs without a corresponding increase in spend, and Halloween undoubtedly had an impact on these figures, the analyst advised.
Elsewhere, alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages recorded strong value growth of +28%, despite overall alcohol sales remaining largely flat (+0.1%), NIQ concluded.
Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NIQ, said: “The half-term holidays and Halloween encouraged shoppers to spend more on special treats for the family. This is despite consumer confidence falling, suggesting shoppers are still willing to loosen the purse strings when there’s an occasion to celebrate.
“Looking ahead, the industry needs to get shoppers in the mood to spend, so the launch of Christmas advertising campaigns will be important in showcasing what’s new, different, and - crucially - affordable.”
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