According to industry data released on Tuesday, UK grocery price inflation experienced a continued decline for the 14th consecutive month in April, partly fueled by increased promotional

activity by supermarkets.

Market research firm Kantar revealed that the annual grocery price inflation stood at 3.2% in the four weeks leading up to April 14, compared to 4.5% in the previous four-week period.

Kantar highlighted that purchases made on promotional offers accounted for 29.3% of supermarket sales, marking the highest level outside of the Christmas period since June 2021.

Fraser McKevitt, Head of Retail and Consumer Insight at Worldpanel by Kantar, explained, "This emphasis on offers, coupled with falling prices in some categories like toilet tissues, butter, and milk, has helped to bring the rate of grocery inflation down for shoppers at the till."

However, McKevitt noted that prices continued to rise swiftly in certain markets, including sugar and chocolate confectionery, as well as chilled fruit juices and drinks.

Official UK data released last week indicated that overall inflation had dropped to 3.2% in March, attributed to a slowdown in food inflation to 4%.

Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's attempt to take credit for the significant reduction in inflation, there has been minimal evidence of a boost in opinion polls for the Conservative Party, which trails behind the opposition Labour Party ahead of the expected election later this year.

In the 12 weeks leading up to April 14, Kantar reported that online retailer Ocado maintained its position as the fastest-growing grocer, with a sales growth of 12.5%.

Market leaders Tesco and Sainsbury's witnessed sales growth of 5.9% and 6.8% respectively, with both gaining market share compared to the previous year.

Discounters Lidl and Aldi experienced sales growth of 9.1% and 2.8% respectively, although Aldi's market share slightly declined.

Asda, ranked third, faced a decline in sales by 0.4%, and its market share decreased by 60 basis points, contrasting with the optimistic tone of its 2023 results released on Monday.

Kantar also highlighted that total online grocery sales reached a share of 12.0%, marking the first time since July 2022. Photo by Wikimedia commons.