Food shoppers benefiting from supermarket price war

UK food sales rose 1.6% between July and September. Picture: Greg Macvean

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Grocery sales rose at their fastest pace since 2013 over the summer as the supermarket price war and favourable weather provided a lift, figures revealed today.

According to the latest British Retail Consortium/KPMG survey, UK food sales rose 1.6 per cent between July and September compared with the same period a year earlier – more than three times the average 12-month rate of 0.5 per cent.

Shoppers cash in as competition drives down prices

However, the warm weather that helped boost grocery sales hurt fashion retailers. Non-food takings only grew 0.5 per cent over the past three months, compared with the 12-month average growth rate of 1.3 per cent.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “The fundamentals are currently still pretty healthy for consumers with employment at a record high and purchasing power benefiting from earnings growth running well above consumer inflation.”

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