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Household spending on take-home groceries hit a record high this Christmas at £460 on average, according to the latest data from Kantar. Overall take-home sales at the grocers rose by 2.1 per cent over the four weeks to 29 December compared with last year.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, says, “It was a solid Christmas at the supermarkets with sales surpassing £13 billion during the four weeks of December for the first time ever, showing people were clearly in the mood to celebrate and spend.

"However, despite the festive cheer, grocery price inflation has ticked up to 3.7 per cent, its highest level since March 2024.

“In contrast to reports of disappointing footfall across the rest of the high street, it was a very different story in the world of grocery. The average household made nearly 17 separate shopping trips this December, delivering the busiest month for the retailers since the pre-lockdown rush in March 2020.