Grocery price inflation has dropped to its lowest point in almost two years, driven by consumers opting for chilled finger foods during summer heatwaves, latest figures show.
Supermarket prices rose by 2.1 per cent in the four weeks to 9 August, falling significantly from 2.6 per cent in the previous month to reach the lowest rate since October 2024, according to data from Worldpanel by Numerator.
Average grocery spending per household fell to £410 over the period – a £14.24 decrease compared to the previous month, which had been boosted by World Cup football fever.
Shoppers also turned to supermarket promotional deals to keep bills down, with 31.3 per cent of purchases involving a discount in the past month, marking the highest proportion recorded this year.
Repeated heatwaves influenced shopping trends, with strong demand for chilled, picnic and finger food ranges. The findings also highlighted that households delayed evening meals until after 8pm to eat when temperatures cooled.
Dip sales increased by 23.3 per cent, alongside a 23.1 per cent rise for coleslaw and a 22 per cent uptick for potato salad. Chilled finger foods grew by 15.2 per cent, while ice cream and sorbet sales went up by 26.1 per cent.
open image in galleryFrozen fruit saw the largest surge in interest, with sales jumping by 48.1 per cent.
Sun cream sales also soared in the hot weather, up 58.4 per cent, with the strongest increase seen among those aged under 45.
Sally Ball, business unit director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: “The continued heat across the UK has certainly impacted the way people are eating and drinking.
“Earlier this summer we saw that mealtimes were being pushed later in the day, with 13 per cent of evening meals now eaten after 8pm.
“Shoppers have been trying to stay cool this month, with soft drinks growing 15.1 per cent in spend, while the freezer aisle saw shoppers stocking up on ice cream, sorbet and frozen fruit to beat the heat.”
The latest figures showed prices were falling fastest for butter and spreads, smoothies and juice, as well as beer and cider.
open image in galleryBut prices rose the fastest for fresh fish, skincare and shampoo.
The data revealed online grocer Ocado enjoyed the fastest growth in the sector with sales up 13.1 per cent and increasing its market share to 2.1 per cent in the 12 weeks to 9 August, up from 1.9 per cent a year earlier.
Of the major chains, Sainsbury’s was the strongest performer, with sales rising 3.5 per cent and its market share rising to 15.2 per cent from 15.1 per cent.
Morrisons was close behind with a 3.3 per cent rise in sales, followed by Tesco with 1.8 per cent and German discounter Aldi with 1.1 per cent.
Asda pared back sales declines to a drop of 0.2 per cent as it edged closer to growth.
The sales fall was the smallest since March 2024, though its share of the market still dropped, to 11.5 per cent against 11.9 per cent a year ago.
Lidl gained the most market share in the 12 weeks, at 8.8 per cent from 8.3 per cent a year ago after sales jumped 8.5%.