Overview

• Grocery prices were 4.9% higher year on year in the four weeks to September 7, easing from 5.0% in August and 5.2% in July, according to Worldpanel by Numerator.
• Supermarket own-label lines now account for 51.2% of sales, with own-label up 5.9% versus brands up 5.3% and premium own-label rising 10.3%.
• Price rises were fastest for chocolate, fresh meat and butter or spreads, while household paper, sugar confectionery and dog food saw the sharpest recent declines.
• Back-to-school shopping lifted lunchbox staples, with yogurt up 26%, sliced cooked meats up 17% and cheddar up 24%, and 13.1% of schoolwear shoppers bought pre-worn items.
• Retail performance diverged, with Ocado up 11.9%, Tesco’s share at 28.4% with spending up 7.7%, Lidl up 11% to an 8.2% share and Aldi holding 10.7% with spending up 4.7%.