Welcome to the November-December issue of Grocery Trader. As we cautiously welcome the news that we may be close to a vaccine against Covid-19, we can be less cautious in celebrating the health of supermarket sales. UK supermarket sales increased by 6.9% in the four weeks ending 31 October 2020, according to new data released by Nielsen. Sales in supermarkets during the final week of October rose by 7.2% as UK consumers prepared for another month in lockdown. The recent UK lockdown measures and uncertainty means consumers are unable to plan ahead for Christmas and family occasions during the holidays as they would have in previous years. However, looking ahead, Nielsen estimates that UK shoppers are set to spend £2bn more in supermarkets for the full quarter up to 26 December 2020, an all-time record high, and an expected sales growth of 7%.
In the last issue we revealed that disinfectant brand Zoflora has been proven to kill Covid-19. In this issue, Vicky Oldroyd, Senior Brand Manager at Zoflora, is interviewed in our Meet the Marketer page, revealing how the household cleaning market has seen a huge surge in 2020.
Budweiser Brewing Group supplies some of the most iconic beers known to British drinkers, including Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona. Tibor Sebastiaan Raátz, Commercial Controller Off-Trade, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, told our Supplier Spotlight page what trends are driving the beer market and what the industry can learn from its experiences during Covid-19.
The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) is a research and training charity providing intelligence on shoppers, retailing and supply chains, and on wider issues such as health, nutrition, sustainability and economics. Anne Bordier, Charity Programmes Director, talks on our Industry Focus page about the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, an initiative to reduce the food waste generated by consumer goods companies in their supply chains, and how the IGD co-ordinated a response by the grocery industry to ensure a supply of food to food banks during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Congratulations to Asda, which donated almost £100k to provide families with access to food during the school holidays. The donation, funded jointly by Asda and the Asda Foundation, was given to Asda’s dedicated Community Champions in 387 stores to be spent on food for groups that provided services to children during half term.
Well done also to Aldi, which has announced a Christmas bonus for its colleagues, as a thank you to those who have worked tirelessly on the frontline throughout this challenging year. Store and distribution colleagues will receive a 10% bonus for November, which will be paid in December ahead of Christmas.
Speaking of the festive season, we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
George Simpson
Group Editor
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