Inflationary hikes hit barbeque burgers
The latest take-home grocery figures from Kantar show that prices of barbeque essentials, such as beef burgers, have risen by up to 17% year-on-year.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said that the growing impact of inflation has meant that consumers will be “feeling the pinch” during the first restriction-free summer since 2019.
He explained: “Taking a barbecue as an example, buying burgers, halloumi and coleslaw for some al fresco dining would cost you 13%, 17% and 14% more than it would have this time last year. Buying enough for a typical family barbecue, shoppers will have to put aside £9.94 rather than the £9.01 they spent last year.”
However, McKevitt added that the rise in temperatures across the UK was also having a positive impact on buying habits. Total consumer spend across food and non-food items added up to £10.9 million during the hottest week, and Kantar expects to see similar if not even bigger numbers this time around.
Prices continue to rise
Supermarket sales were up by 0.1% over the latest 12 weeks, the first time the market has been in growth since April 2021, whilst grocery price inflation hit the second highest level ever recorded by Kantar.
The latest take-home grocery figures show that supermarket bills are rising rapidly, and consumers are now exposed to an additional £454 per year at the tills.
According to Kantar, supply chain issues have driven costs up across the industry and like-for-like grocery price inflation now stands at 9.9% over the past four weeks.
McKevitt explained: “This is the second highest level of grocery inflation that we’ve seen since we started tracking prices in this way in 2008 and we’re likely to surpass the previous high come August.”
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