Sales of supermarkets’ premium ranges in the UK have risen sharply, as shoppers spend 13 per cent more on top of the line ranges than last year.
New figures from Kantar Worldpanel reveal that in the 12 weeks to December 4, 12 per cent of shopping trips saw premium brands being purchased, with 88 per cent of consumers now buying from these ranges.
Kantar Worldpanel‘s head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt said: “In the past 12 weeks, 6.3% of own label purchases were from premium lines such as Tesco Finest and Sainsbury‘s Taste the Difference, well ahead of the 5.7% recorded last year.
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“We‘ve seen particularly impressive performances from Morrisons‘ The Best, which saw sales increase by 35%, and Asda Extra Special which grew by 15%.
“Over Christmas it‘s likely that premium lines will record their highest ever sales figures as even more shoppers trade up to treat their loved ones.”
This news comes amid a period of slow growth for the grocery sector, as margins from the ongoing price war are being further squeezed by rising import costs. Sales across the sector grew just 0.7 per cent year-on-year.
The best performing retailers over this period were Aldi and Iceland with sales growing 10 per cent and 8.6 per cent and market shares growing 0.6 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively.
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