Total till sales at UK supermarkets grew by 5.3% in the four weeks to 27 January, according to the latest data from NielsenIQ (NIQ).
This marks an increase from the 3.6% growth recorded in December, although underlying sales growth was more modest at 3%, as unit growth plateaued in recent weeks.
With food inflation easing to 1.6%, compared to 6.4% last year, there was notable unit growth across all major supermarket chains. However, growth slowed following the New Year period.
January, typically a time for health-focused resolutions, saw a continued trend of British households embracing more health-conscious diets.
NIQ data shows that 12% of UK households purchased meat-free substitutes in the last four weeks, down slightly from 14% in the previous year.
Despite this, shoppers maintained healthy eating habits, with significant growth in freshly prepared fruit and vegetable accompaniments.
The fastest-growing category was meat, fish, and poultry, as shoppers sought protein-rich meals as part of their New Year diets. Petcare and dairy products also saw notable increases.
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One standout trend in the current market is the rise in scratch cooking, with families increasingly turning to home cooking to save money. NIQ data shows that half of UK households now cook from scratch every day or most days, with around 16% doing so more frequently amid rising living costs.
This shift has driven demand for products designed to enhance or speed up the cooking experience, with fresh gravy, fresh dough and pastry, fresh dips, and fresh cream and custard all seeing significant uptake.
In terms of retailer performance, Ocado led with a sales growth of 15.6% compared to the same period last year, followed by Marks & Spencer with a growth of 9.7%. M&S benefited from its larger store formats, encouraging shoppers to add more items to their baskets, as well as its dine-at-home deals. Meanwhile, Lidl and Aldi continued to see growth, attracting new shoppers and increasing store visits.
NIQ head of retailer and business insight Mike Watkins said: “The lift to grocery sales in the last four weeks was helped by the timing of the New Year, with a proportion of sales coming from the new year festivities which was week ending 4th January (+10.0%). However, after this, weekly growth in January was slightly lower.
“Whilst overall Total Till sales growth was higher than December, the underlying trend is closer to +3% which is the average growth in the most recent three weeks.
“NIQ Homescan data shows that the cost of living is still firmly consumers’ number one concern at the start of 2025. Shoppers are looking to save money and eat healthier leading to a growing trend in scratch cooking, which is one of the key behaviours driving the strong unit growth (+2%) and value growth (+6.8%)3 in fresh food categories in the last four weeks.”
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