A recent study has shown that the cost of a typical Christmas meal for a family of four has gone up by 6.5 percent from the previous year, now totaling £32.57. This increase is mainly due to the rising prices of essential items like turkey and vegetables.
The price of a frozen turkey has surged by nine percent to £14.09, while potatoes have seen a significant increase of 16 percent, now priced at £1.65. Cauliflower prices have also gone up by 15 percent, reaching £1.18.
According to data gathered by Kantar, the cost of carrots has risen by 11 percent to 49p, cranberry sauce is now 10 percent more expensive at 78p, and Christmas pudding has gone up by 4 percent to £3.32.
Parsnips have soared by 13 per cent to 71p, stuffing mix has gone up 7 per cent to 92p, Brussels sprouts have increased 1 per cent to 89p and gravy granules are up 4 per cent to £2.14. The only item unchanged in price is sparkling wine at £6.40.
It comes as Kantar also revealed overall annual grocery price inflation across all supermarkets stood at 2.6 per cent in the four weeks to December 1 – the fourth month in a row it has risen, and up from 2.3 per cent in the previous four weeks.
Prices are rising fastest for toothbrushes, fragrancies and chilled smoothies or juices, while falling the most in household paper products, dog food and ‘ambient savoury meals’ – which is food that can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container.
Separate data compiled by Assosia for The Telegraph showed that mince pies are up by as much as 40 per cent – with Tesco’s premium packs jumping by £1 to £3.50.
It also reported costs for packs across other supermarkets have risen by between 9 and 20 per cent in the past year. Across the previous two years, packs across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons have gone up by an average of 26 per cent.
The cost of an average Christmas dinner for four has risen by 6.5 per cent in a year to £32.57
Despite the rising prices, Kantar said sales across the supermarkets are expected to exceed £13billion over the four weeks of December for the first time ever.
Sales of assorted sweet biscuits and biscuits for cheese both doubled in November compared with the month before, while 8 per cent of shoppers bought a Christmas pudding.
The proportion of spending on premium own-label products reached 5 per cent over the latest four weeks, and is expected to climb to almost 7 per cent in December.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: ‘Monday December 23 is likely to be the single busiest day for the supermarkets this year, although there are clear signs that shoppers are already stocking up their cupboards.
‘Many of us take the chance to treat ourselves at this time of year and retailers are rolling out seasonal product lines to help us celebrate in style.’
Kantar revealed overall annual grocery price inflation across all supermarkets is at 2.6 per cent
Grocery market share in the 12 weeks to December saw Tesco have its best result since 2017
Meanwhile, sales on promotion reached 30 per cent in November, the highest since Christmas last year and driven by deals accessed through supermarket loyalty cards, as shoppers traded up to festive treats including Champagne, wine and spirits.
Britain’s largest grocer Tesco achieved its highest market share since December 2017 to reach 28.1 per cent, up from 27.4 per cent in 2023, as its sales grew by 5.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to December.
Sainsbury’s share increased by 0.3 percentage points to 15.9 per cent, and spending through its tills was 4.7 per cent higher than last year.
Mr McKevitt added: ‘The number of different retailers we visit in the run up to Christmas is higher than at other times during the year, including wider high street brands like M&S.
‘Just under one in three households, at 32 per cent, bought food, drink and other groceries to have at home from M&S during the 12 weeks to December 1 and looking at grocery sales alone, spending at M&S rose by 10.4 per cent.’
| Supermarket | 12 wks to 3/12/23 (£m) | Share | 12 wks to 1/12/24 (£m) | Share | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Grocers | 34,086 | 100% | 34,920 | 100% | 2.4% |
| Total Multiples | 33,595 | 98.6% | 34,447 | 98.60% | 2.5% |
| Tesco | 9,328 | 27.4% | 9,812 | 28.10% | 5.2% |
| Sainsbury’s | 5,306 | 15.6% | 5,555 | 15.90% | 4.7% |
| Asda | 4,556 | 13.4% | 4,303 | 12.30% | -5.6% |
| Aldi | 3,518 | 10.3% | 3,591 | 10.30% | 2.1% |
| Morrisons | 2,954 | 8.7% | 3,012 | 8.60% | 2.0% |
| Lidl | 2,509 | 7.4% | 2,675 | 7.70% | 6.6% |
| Co-op | 1,941 | 5.7% | 1,919 | 5.50% | -1.1% |
| Waitrose | 1,493 | 4.4% | 1,531 | 4.40% | 2.6% |
| Iceland | 765 | 2.2% | 781 | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Ocado | 589 | 1.7% | 640 | 1.8% | 8.7% |
| Other Multiples | 636 | 1.9% | 628 | 1.8% | -1.2% |
| Symbols & Independents | 491 | 1.4% | 473 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| M&S is not currently included in Kantar’s publicly available data for grocery market share | |||||
Lidl was the fastest growing bricks-and-mortar grocer, with sales up by 6.6 per cent. Its share climbed 0.3 percentage points to 7.7 per cent, with its footfall now up by nearly 10 per cent in comparison with a year ago.
Waitrose grew slightly ahead of the market, with spending increasing by 2.6 per cent to maintain a 4.4 per cent share, and spending at Aldi grew by 2.1 per cent to give the discounter 10.3 per cent of the market.
Spending at Morrisons rose by 2 per cent to reach 8.6 per cent of the market.
Its average transaction value was up by 4.8 per cent over the 12 weeks, helped by strong online sales. This was significantly ahead of the average growth in basket spend across the grocers as a whole, which edged 0.7 per cent higher to £24.51 in the period.
Co-op claimed 5.5 per cent of the market and Asda has a 12.3 per cent share. Iceland held its share of 2.2 per cent.
Online retailer Ocado boosted sales by 8.7 per cent over the period, achieving a 1.8 per cent share of the market. It outpaced the total online market which grew by 3.6 per cent.
Tesco achieved its highest market share since December 2017 to reach 28.1 per cent
Lidl was the fastest growing bricks-and-mortar grocer, with sales up by 6.6 per cent
Take-home sales at the grocers increased by 2.5 per cent over the four weeks to December 1.
Outside of the food and drink aisles, retailers’ general merchandise lines are also predicted to get a boost –after spending on non-grocery items in the supermarkets leapt by 21 per cent in December 2023 versus the monthly average for that year.
It comes after UK supermarkets warned that tax rises in the Labour government’s first budget in October, together with another rise in the national minimum wage, will result in increased prices for consumers.
Official data published last month by the Office for National Statistics showed overall UK inflation jumped to 2.3 per cent in October. Data for November will be published on December 18.
