Grocery prices jumping doesn’t dampen Easter sales splurge

Grocery inflation edged up 3.8%, but take-home sales for the four weeks to April 20, 2025 were up 6.5% year on year, while spending on Easter eggs jumped 11% compared to 2024, according to the most recent Kantar market share data.

“Chocolate confectionery prices rose by 17.4% this period, the fastest of any category, but that didn’t stop the British public treating themselves this Easter. The volume of chocolate eggs sold through supermarket tills still grew by 0.4% on last year, while at the dinner table, lamb was the most popular fresh meat joint, followed by beef and pork,” said Kantar head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt.

McKevitt added that warm weather also saw customer spending on burgers for barbeques shoot up 31% in April.

Promotional spending reached 29.7% during the period, the highest levels seen this year, which McKevitt said showed grocers “have been sharpening their pricing strategies to stay competitive in the fight for footfall”.

Spending on promotions, many linked to loyalty cards, grew by £374m, with nearly 20% of items sold at giants Tesco and Sainsbury’s being on a price match.

“However, it’s not all about price perceptions alone. What’s clear is that shoppers want quality too, particularly on special occasions,” said McKevitt. “And we can track that, for example, in the rapid growth of premium own label in the latest four weeks at 23.2%. Ultimately, retailers need to be seen offering great value, but it’s a fine tightrope to walk, particularly as they manage their own business costs.”

Asda still in the mire

During the period, Asda was the only supermarket tracked by Kantar that saw sales fall in the period, down 3.8%. The retailer’s market share also slipped to 12.3%, down a percentage point year-on-year.

Pureplay grocer Ocado and discounter Lidl, by comparison, were the fastest and second fastest growing of the chains over the period.

As the fastest growing retailer, a title Ocado has held for nearly a year, sales grew 11.8% year on year with its market share at 1.9% of the market. Ocado customer spending on M&S groceries through the platform soared 14.4% in the 12 weeks to April 20.

Lidl registered the fastest footfall in the 12 weeks to April 20, 2025, which helped it deliver sales growth of 10.1% and an 8% market share. Aldi had market sales growth of 5.9% with 11% market share.

Sales at Tesco jumped 6%, 4.4% at Sainsbury’s and 1.8% at Morrisons. Waitrose sales jumped 3.2%, frozen food specialist Iceland registered a 2% rise, while c-store specialist Co-op had 1.9% growth.