Supermarket figures on Christmas spending indicate that recessionary buying behaviour is “all but over”, according to TNS Worldpanel.
The analyst’s figures for the 12 weeks ending 27 December 2009 are in stark contrast to those for 2008. Ed Garner, communications director at TNS, said: “Christmas is traditionally a time when shoppers prioritise the quality of food over value, but the recession put a stop to this in 2008. We are now seeing signs of a return to more traditional Christmas purchasing habits, with a growth in premium ranges.”
Tesco’s share of the consumer spend for the 12-week period analysed by TNS was 30.5 per cent, compared to 30.4 per cent last year, Asda’s share was 16.9 per cent up from 16.8, Sainsbury’s climbed slightly more from 16.1 per cent to 16.3 per cent, and Morrisons’ rose by 0.5 per cent to 12.3 per cent.
Aldi maintained its share, in contrast to last year when it showed 25 per cent growth. Lidl showed its slowest growth for seven years.
