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 spend 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 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%.

Year-on-year comparison across the six-week Christmas trading period