Supermarkets report busiest month in more than a year


Vaccine rollout boosts grocers: Supermarkets report busiest month in more than a year

Shoppers made 4 per cent more trips to the supermarket in the month to April 18

Shoppers made 4 per cent more trips to the supermarket in the month to April 18

Grocery experts said the ‘worst of the pandemic is behind us’ as the successful vaccine rollout led to the busiest month in supermarkets in more than a year.

Shoppers made 4 per cent more trips to the supermarket in the month to April 18, compared to the month before, according to Kantar data.

Older customers, many of whom have now had both jabs, accounted for half of the monthly increase.

Online, the share of groceries ordered slipped to 13.9 per cent, down from a peak of 15.4 per cent in February. 

Alcohol sales grew 1 per cent, as bars, restaurants and pubs reopened.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail at Kantar, said: ‘There is a growing sense that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, and people are becoming more comfortable with venturing out to the supermarket.’ Fashion retailers’ sales also boomed.

Waitrose will create 400 jobs when it expands its tie-up with Deliveroo from 40 shops to 150 this summer.

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