Kantar Worldpanel has revealed that the overall grocery market has grown by 3.7%, the fastest rate since September 2013. It is now worth almost £1 billion in additional sales to the grocery sector.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, comments, “All ten major retailers are in growth for the first time in three and a half years, when we last saw like for like grocery inflation as high as it is now. While prices do look set to rise further, the current inflation rate of 2.6% is still below the average level experienced by shoppers between 2010 and 2014.

"A strong Easter also contributed to the markets growth this period. In the past 12 weeks, British shoppers splashed out £325 million on Easter eggs with almost three quarters of the population buying at least one. Consumers plumped for more premium confectionery lines this year, the average price paid for an Easter egg rising by 8.6% to £1.65, while 20 million packs of hot cross buns were bought in the Easter week alone."

McKevitt continues, "Premium own label lines are continuing to see huge growth and Morrisons has been making the most of their popularity among consumers. Its The Best line is performing well following last years launch and has attracted more affluent shoppers through its doors, helping Morrisons become the fastest growing big four retailers. However, this growth is behind the overall market and Morrisons total market share has slipped 0.2 percentage points to 10.4%.”