TNS Predicts Xmas Week Will be Busiest Ever for Supermarkets

London, UK. Britons are set to spend a record ?3.3 billion on groceries in the week leading up to Christmas day, according to TNS Superpanel, a division of leading market information provider, TNS. This is a 17 per cent rise on last year, when the nation spent ?2.7 billion.

TNS believes the increase is because there are six full shopping days in Christmas week this year, with supermarkets open until 4-6pm on Christmas Eve. In addition, with Christmas Eve on a weekend many more shoppers will be able to visit stores. An analysis of historic TNS figures show that with each additional full shopping day in the week before Christmas there have been increases of 20 per cent on the previous year’s spending at the tills.
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Record spending in Christmas week will impact the surrounding week’s figures; TNS predicts that whilst we will see lower spending in the weeks of 12th December and 26th December, the overall figures for grocery spending over the 5 weeks of Christmas will be the highest ever at ?13.7 billion*, up 11 per cent in the last 4 years.

Edward Garner, Communications Director at TNS Superpanel, says: “ Whilst there is a limit to the total amount shoppers can spend on groceries in the Christmas period, we believe there will be a ‘concertina’ effect with many shoppers delaying their final main grocery shopping until the week of Christmas.

“This could have significant implications for the retailers and their suppliers. Christmas Eve in particular could see frenzied activity at the tills. Retailers will have to be very well prepared to avoid stocks running low and even car parks over flowing! Next year looks to be even more manic, with Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th as prime grocery shopping opportunities.

“In recent years it has been the more specialist food oriented retailers such as Sainsburys & Waitrose that have particularly benefited from the final Christmas week shopping, with ‘neighbourhood’ outlets like Somerfield, the Co-op & local corner shops performing especially well on Christmas Eve for the last minute goods and the short-term perishables like bread and milk.”