manchester

christmas

Supermarkets set for bumper pre-Xmas week

Supermarkets are set to enjoy their busiest yet pre-Christmas week, market analysts said today.

We will spend a record £3.3 billion on groceries - up 17% on the same week last year, according to TNS research.

Overall grocery spending in the five weeks of Christmas will be £13.7 billion - up 11% in the last four years, TNS predicts.

Retailers should be braced for "frenzied" activity at the tills as customers hit stores in the last six shopping days.

Edward Garner, communications director at TNS Superpanel, said: "Whilst there is a limit to the total amount shoppers can spend on groceries in the Christmas period, we believe there will be a `concertina' effect, with many shoppers delaying their final main grocery shopping until the week of Christmas."

Longer supermarket opening hours on Christmas Eve, which falls on a Saturday, are expected to fuel last-minute sales.

December 24 has historically been busiest for corner shops and outlets such as Somerfield and the Co-op rather than supermarkets, TNS said.

The predictions are based on TNS Superpanel's monitoring of purchases made by 15,000 British households.