Supermarket price inflation rises at sharpest pace since start of 2024 with butter and chocolate to blame
The figure compared to grocery price inflation of 3.8 per cent in Kantar's report last month. Grocery sales in the period rose 4.4 per cent year-on-year.
Kantar said prices were rising fastest in chocolate confectionery, suncare and butters and spreads and were falling fastest in dog food, cat food and household paper products.
Retailers have warned that employer tax rises imposed in the Labour's first Budget, together with another rise in the national minimum wage and a new packaging levy, will be inflationary.
Industry researcher the Institute of Grocery Distribution has forecast that food inflation could hit nearly 5 per cent this year.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: 'Households have been adapting their buying habits to manage budgets for some time, but we typically see changes in behaviour once inflation tips beyond the 3 per cent to 4 per cent point as people notice the impact on their wallets more.'
On the up: Grocery price inflation jumped to 4.1% for the four weeks to 18 May
He added: 'Own-label lines are ones to watch, with premium own-label in particular being the fastest-growing part of the market since September 2023.'
Kantar said customers' spending on deals was up by 5.1 per cent on May last year as prices rise.
But, May's hot weather also saw Britons sending sales of chilled burgers up 27 per cent, potato salad up 32 per cent, and coleslaw and prepared salads up by 19 per cent each. Sales of sun cream were up 36 per cent, Kantar said.
Latest shopping basket figures suggest consumers are increasingly shaping their diets around health, wellbeing and exercise, with sales of sports nutrition products surging 45 per cent over the past five months compared with the same period last year.
Ocado fastest growing supermarket
Ocado marked a full year as Britain's fastest-growing grocer, Kantar said.
Over the 12 weeks to 18 May, sales at Ocado climbed 14.9 per cent, according to the data.
Aldi and Lidl achieved their strongest combined growth since January 2024, at 8.4 per cent, with Lidl reaching a new market share high of 8.1 per cent, with sales up by 10.9 per cent.
Aldi's hold of the market reached a record high at 11.1 per cent, with sales rising by 6.7 per cent, Kantar said.
Tesco boosted its sales by 5.9 per cent to increase its share to 28 per cent of the market, while sales growth at Sainsbury's accelerated by 4.7 per cent to give it a 15.1 per cent share.
Despite high-profile cybersecurity incidents recently, spending on groceries at Marks & Spencer rose by 12.3 per cent, while Co-op increased sales by 0.6 per cent to take 5.3 per cent of the market.
Kantar added: 'Sales at Morrisons nudged up by 1.1 per cent and it now holds 8.4 per cent of the market.
'After Asda's best performance since May last year, its share stands at 12.1 per cent. Waitrose maintained a 4.6 per cent share as sales grew by 4 per cent.
'Spending through the tills at Iceland went up by 1.9 per cent, bringing the frozen food specialist's portion of the market to 2.2 per cent.'
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