The number of people in the UK using smartphones increased 10 percent between the second and third quarters of this year, from 5.6 million to 6.2 million.

Web sites related to mobile phones – both handsets and services – showed the highest traffic growth in the UK, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.  Overall, the sector posted 58 percent growth on a year-to-year basis.  Visits to Nokia’s site grew by 203 percent, while Vodafone and O2 also posted solid growth (91% and 79%, respectively).  At the same time, schemes that enable consumers to recycle their old mobiles for cash drove more people to related web sites for information. 
Perhaps as a sign of the times, the …

After a month of strong growth, grocery sales in the UK took a step back in July, due largely to poor weather that dampened the traditional BBQ season.  Sales grew 4 percent in the four weeks ended August 8, 2009 compared to the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen’s monthly survey.  Unit growth was up 2.3 percent.
“The poor weather resulted in shoppers making fewer shopping trips this year.  But with grocers increasing promotional activity, with 33 percent of sales this month being on promotion, we expect monthly growth …

Warmer weather seems to have thawed the wallets of British consumers, as sales at grocery chains increased 6.6 percent in the four weeks ending July 11th, the best underlying growth in more than 24 months, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.  The strong results were driven by sales in fresh foods, soft drinks and general merchandise, the latter showing growth in the high single digits.  Unit growth also rose by 2 percent across the sector. 
“Shoppers continue to respond to offers, with another all-time high for promotional spend at …

Spurred by warmer weather and slowing food inflation, grocery sales in the UK grew 5 percent in the 12 weeks ending June 13th, and annual gains to date stood at 3.6 percent, according to Nielsen.  All of the top British grocery retailers posted gains, with one exception, and Waitrose in particular turned in an impressive performance with 8.4 percent growth.  The chain has attracted almost a quarter million new shoppers in the last month, and consumer spend grew more than 5 percent.
“Waitrose has gained strong momentum going into the summer, …

UK grocery sales grew 5.1 percent in the 12 week period ended May 16th, largely due to the record number of products on promotion according to new research from Nielsen.  Morrisons continued the solid performance it has been exhibiting over the last few months with sales growth of 7.9 percent over the same period a year ago, while Asda and Sainsbury also posted gains of 7.4 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively.
“With a record of 32 percent of all sales being goods on offer in the four weeks to May 2009, …

Sales in the UK grocery sector showed promising growth in the eight weeks ended April 18th, racking up 4.2 percent increases, and volume growth of 5.8 percent over the same period in 2008.  The convenience sector also showed a 3.2 percent in sales growth over a year ago, a marked improvement from a few months ago when sales growth was languishing at about 1 percent.
Sales over Easter week benefited the out-of-town megastores, which rung up sales 22 percent over the same period last year.
“Over 20 percent growth is a welcome …

Few sectors of the economy have been as tarnished during the global recession as banks and financial institutions.  With the closure of some well-known industry names and the billions in losses racked up at others, it is understandable that consumers may feel some nervousness when it comes to the stability of their banks.  The fact is, however, that most banks are secure, and to communicate that fact, they have increasingly shifted the focus of their advertising to brand building.
According to a new report from Nielsen UK, total UK ad spending …