Sales in the British grocery sector picked up over the holidays, but were largely negated by weak sales at the beginning of December, Nielsen reported last week.
Growth (by value) of British food sales for the four-week period ending December 27 was up by 2.6% year-over-year overall and by 4.5% year-over-year for grocery multiples.
“The consumer was much more cautious this year, and it was a back to basics Christmas,” Mike Watkins, senior manager, retailer services, Nielsen, noted.  “Sales of packaged grocery (+11%), frozen (+10%), and confectionery (+8%) were buoyant, while sales of …

Sales in British supermarkets picked up during the last two weeks of November, as shoppers turned their backs on convenience stores and the high street retailers in favor of larger purchases at larger, value-oriented hypermarkets, Nielsen reported Tuesday. 
Year-over-year growth at hypermarkets reached 6% during the period, while the smallest convenience outlets declined by almost 2% during the 12-week period.
In comparison, year-over-year growth in the British grocery sector stood at 3.2% during the 12 weeks ending 29 November, according to Nielsen.  Grocery multiples showed stronger growth (+5.6%) during the period.
“In order …

For the past few years, we’ve seen the transition from random weight to pre-packaged, UPC-coded meat.  In 2009, as more retailers look for ways to cut costs, fresh meat will continue shift from the butcher to the shelf. 
Look for less meat to be cut in the store, and more UPC-coded meat to be packaged centrally and sold on the shelf. 
Retailers will need to decide whether they want to compete on price or rely on their butchers and deli counters to create differentiation and customization.
Read Nielsen’s complete 2009 Industry Outlook in …