For the 12 weeks to August 8, 2021, grocery sales fell 4% year on year as coronavirus restrictions in the UK were lifted, according to the latest Kantar grocery market share data.

However, while the year-on-year comparisons remained tough for grocers, the picture over the four weeks to August 8 showed a much slower decline in sales of just 0.5%.

Compared with the same period in 2019, meanwhile, grocery sales were still up 9.9%, showing that the pandemic continues to have an impact on customer shopping habits.