Grocery price inflation hits another record at 13.9 per cent over September, according to Kantar

The latest figures from Kantar reveal that take-home grocery sales rose by 4.8 per cent in the 12 weeks to October 2 2022 while grocery price inflation has hit another new peak.

Grocery inflation now stands at 13.9 per cent, which is the highest percentage figure recorded since Kantar began tracking prices in this way during the 2008 financial crash.Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, commented “The cost-of-living crisis is still hitting people hard at the checkouts and this latest data will make tough reading for many.

"Based on our numbers, the average household is facing a £643 jump in their annual grocery bill to £5,265 if they continue to buy the same items. Taking that at a basket level, that’s an extra £3.04 on top of the cost of the average shopping trip last year which was £21.89.“Of course, consumers are looking for ways to manage budgets and to avoid paying more for their shopping.

"We’re generally reluctant to change what we eat, so this is more about sticking to the food we know and love while hunting for cheaper alternatives like supermarkets’ own label goods. We aren’t seeing dramatic evidence of diets changing. For example, while frozen veg sales have gone up slightly, there hasn’t been a big switch away from fresh products, which are still worth ten times more.

"However, one standout from the data this month was the surge in marmalade sales by 18 per cent as the nation paid its respects to the Queen.”For the fifth month in a row Lidl was the fastest growing grocer this period, pushing up its sales by 20.9 per cent over the 12 weeks, marginally ahead of Aldi whose sales rose by 20.7 per cent. Lidl’s share of the market is now 7.1 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent last year while Aldi moved to 9.3 per cent from 8.0 per cent.Mr McKevitt comments: “Asda led the way among the biggest traditional supermarkets, boosting sales by 4.5 per cent. It has done particularly well to attract new shoppers over the latest 12 weeks, bringing an additional 417,000 customers through its doors compared with last year. The retailer’s new Just Essentials range continues to help it drive growth with nearly two thirds of its 15.2 million shoppers picking up at least one item from the line.”