2014 Christmas spending down by 0.2% compared to 2013
IRI review of last 2 weeks of Christmas trading reveals a final push on alcohol and chocolate, with cards, crackers and decorations performing best over the full 6-week Christmas period.
Supermarket grocery sales finally ramped up in the final two weeks of the Christmas trading period (13-27 December 2014), bringing relief to retailers at the end of a difficult year.
Total sales for the six-week trading period (16th November-27th December) across the 12 Christmas super-sectors were down on 2013, but only by -0.2% (£7.8m), to a total spend of £4.07bn. Whereas spending declined by -2.5% compared with 2013 in the first two weeks of the period, and by -1.2% in the middle two weeks, sales in the final two weeks were up by 2.1%, growing £35.7m compared with the last year to a total of £1.73bn.
A rise in sales of alcohol and chocolate contributed most to the upturn, with liqueurs and spirits performing best, but these sectors have shown little year-on-year growth over the six-week period.
Sales of turkey/chicken and beef, gammon and bacon in the final two weeks were still down on last year, although stock, stuffing and gravy grew, along with cooking fats.
The worst-performing sector over the six-week trading period was frozen desserts and cream at -6.9%, with poultry close behind at -5.2%. Cards, crackers and decorations performed best, with sales increasing 5.8%, and seasonal cakes, puddings and pies gained 1.6%.
| Christmas super-sectors | % change in sales value for 2 weeks ending 27 December 2014 compared to same period in 2013 |
| Wine & champagne | 4.7 |
| Liqueur & spirits | 4.8 |
| Chocolate & xmas selection/novelty packs | 4.4 |
| Beer & lager | 0.9 |
| Poultry | -4.2 |
| Gammon, beef, bacon | -4.1 |
| Crisps, snacks, nuts, dates | -0.2 |
| Cards, crackers, lights, wraps, trees, decos | 10.6 |
| Speciality cheese | 3.1 |
| Seasonal cakes, puddings, pies | 4.5 |
| Frozen desserts & cream | -6.0 |
| Stocks, stuffing, gravy | 2.3 |
Year-on-year comparison across the six-week Christmas trading period
| Christmas super-sectors | % change in sales value compared to same six-week period in 2013 |
| Wine & champagne | 0.0 |
| Liqueur & spirits | 2.1 |
| Chocolate & xmas selection/novelty packs | 1.5 |
| Beer & lager | -0.3 |
| Poultry | -5.2 |
| Gammon, beef, bacon | -4.1 |
| Crisps, snacks, nuts, dates | 0.0 |
| Cards, crackers, lights, wraps, trees, decos | 5.8 |
| Speciality cheese | 1.4 |
| Seasonal cakes, puddings, pies | 1.6 |
| Frozen desserts & cream | -6.9 |
| Stocks, stuffing, gravy | 0.9 |
