Sainsbury’s has forecast a bigger Easter than last year having already sold 16m hot cross buns this year – a 62% sales rise from 2023.
The grocer also expects more shoppers to celebrate the day with a classic Easter roast dinner as Globdata predicts UK consumers will spend £1.9bn over the period, up 4.0% on 2023.
The data firm said spend on Easter food and drink is expected to drive the uplift as consumers plan to splash out, feeling less restricted by financial pressures amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The supermarket has seen a 469% uplift on its sale of lamb from last year, and is predicting a 386% increase in beef sales. It also expects a 48% jump in vegetable sales.
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At Argos.co.uk, Sainsbury’s said its top Easter search terms included “Easter decorations,” “Easter bunny,” and “Easter egg”.
While “home Easter” searches have seen a 3,500% jump from last year, as customers look to decorate their homes for the occasion.
GlobalData’s latest report “UK Easter Intentions 2024,” reveals that, in addition to a more optimistic forecast for Easter spending, the proportion of consumers planning to purchase at least one item this year has increased by 6.8 percentage points to 69.0% since 2023. This marks the highest level of intended consumer participation in three years.
Eleanor Simpson-Gould, senior retail analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Consumers are showing positive signs that retailers can expect to see a resurgence in spend this year.
The news comes after Tesco recently slashed the cost of its Easter vegetables to 15p for Clubcard members.
The supermarket giant said that from 27 March until 2 April, potatoes, carrots, swedes, brown onions and white cabbage would all be 15p on Clubcard Prices – down from 19p last Easter.
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