When it comes to holiday baking, consumers in the northern U.S. reach for baking supplies — like readymade frosting, cake decorations, chocolate chips, and food coloring, while southerners prefer to stick to the basics: flour and sugar.
Last November and December, supermarket shoppers in northern markets like Hartford and New Haven, Conn. and Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y. spent almost one-third more, percentage-wise, on baking supplies than average American consumers, Nielsen reports.
During the same period, shoppers in southern markets like Birmingham, Ala. and Memphis dominated sales of flour, spending 106% and 78% more, respectively, than average Americans.
Consumers in Memphis and Birmingham also dominated sales of sugar, spending 57% and 46% more, respectively, than average Americans on that most basic of holiday baking ingredients, according to Nielsen.
West Texas, Little Rock, Ark., Nashville, Tenn., and Atlanta were also among the top markets for flour and sugar sales. Shoppers in these markets spent 30% to 52% more on flour, and 19% to 28% more on sugar than average Americans.
Top 10 U.S. Markets: Baking Supplies
| Rank (by highest index) |
Market | Dollar Sales Index Vs. Total U.S. Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HARTFORD/NEW HAVEN | 128 |
| 2 | BUFFALO/ROCHESTER | 127 |
| 3 | GRAND RAPIDS | 123 |
| 3 | MINNEAPOLIS | 123 |
| 3 | CLEVELAND | 123 |
| 4 | SYRACUSE | 122 |
| 5 | MILWAUKEE | 120 |
| 6 | ST. LOUIS | 115 |
| 7 | SEATTLE | 113 |
| 7 | DETROIT | 113 |
| 7 | PHILADELPHIA | 113 |
| 8 | ALBANY | 112 |
| 8 | PORTLAND | 112 |
| 9 | BOSTON | 110 |
| 9 | SAN FRANCISCO | 110 |
| 10 | SACRAMENTO | 109 |
| Lowest Rank | SAN ANTONIO | 68 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (November – December 2007). | ||
| *Note: “Dollar Sales Index” is based on each market’s category share of UPC-coded, total dry grocery sales vs. total U.S. sales. | ||
Top 10 U.S. Markets: Flour
| Rank (by highest index) |
Market | Dollar Sales Index Vs. Total U.S. Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIRMINGHAM | 206 |
| 2 | MEMPHIS | 178 |
| 3 | WEST TEXAS | 152 |
| 3 | LITTLE ROCK | 152 |
| 4 | HOUSTON | 136 |
| 4 | NASHVILLE | 136 |
| 5 | SAN ANTONIO | 131 |
| 6 | ATLANTA | 130 |
| 7 | DALLAS | 120 |
| 8 | PHOENIX | 119 |
| 9 | PORTLAND | 105 |
| 10 | NEW ORLEANS/MOBILE | 103 |
| 10 | KANSAS CITY | 103 |
| Lowest Rank | ORLANDO | 67 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (November – December 2007). | ||
| *Note: “Dollar Sales Index” is based on each market’s category share of UPC-coded, total dry grocery sales vs. total U.S. sales. | ||
Top 10 U.S. Markets: Sugar
| Rank (by highest index) |
Market | Dollar Sales Index Vs. Total U.S. Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMPHIS | 157 |
| 2 | BIRMINGHAM | 146 |
| 3 | LITTLE ROCK | 128 |
| 4 | NASHVILLE | 127 |
| 5 | RALEIGH/DURHAM | 125 |
| 6 | NEW ORLEANS/MOBILE | 124 |
| 7 | CHARLOTTE | 123 |
| 7 | ATLANTA | 123 |
| 8 | JACKSONVILLE | 120 |
| 9 | WEST TEXAS | 119 |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA CITY/TULSA | 119 |
| 10 | LOUISVILLE | 114 |
| Lowest Rank | OAHU | 68 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (November – December 2007). | ||
| *Note: “Dollar Sales Index” is based on each market’s category share of UPC-coded, total dry grocery sales vs. total U.S. sales. | ||
Nielsen’s Dollar Sales Index reflects a category’s share of total dry grocery sales for a Nielsen market versus the total U.S., using supermarket dollar sales over the most current 52-week period.
The Memphis market’s index of 157 for the Sugar product category, for example, reveals that supermarkets in that particular market sell 57% more sugar, relative to total dry grocery purchases, than the national average.
