yoghurt

Yoghurt and berries were among the biggest winners as summer got off to a hot start

Till sales growth at supermarkets has jumped to 3.8%, as the hot start to summer sparked healthy eating trends – and a £23.3m boost to berries.

In-store visits benefitted most from the warm spell, with till spend up 4.5% compared to just 1.5% growth in online spend, according to the latest NIQ snapshot, released this morning (25 June).

Overall spending growth in the four weeks to 14 June was up 0.8 percentage points on May’s figure, with NIQ analysts putting growing spend down to a more enticing environment for al fresco and at-home dining, as well as a sunny Father’s Day.

Shoppers have jumped on healthy eating trends wholeheartedly, with healthier items like big-pot yoghurts (+29%), frozen fruit (+21%) and vitamins (+15%) making up the largest category shifts, with rice cakes (+18%) and sushi (+15%) also significantly up.

Healthy eating trends have led 44% of consumers to actively limit their intake of processed items, with 36% now making a concerted effort to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day.

“In the first six weeks of summer 2025, shoppers have spent £700m more and 75% (£521m) of that has been in fresh and chilled foods. This perhaps indicates the shift of spend not just towards convenient fresh food options but towards a more healthy and nutritious diet,” said Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NIQ.

Despite in-store’s strength, Ocado has kept its top spot over the past 12 weeks with 15.6% growth, though new shoppers and more frequent visits have given both Tesco (+6.6%) and Sainsbury’s (+5.8%) good sales momentum, with Waitrose not far behind at 5.5% sales growth.

Average spend per visit, however, fell 2.5% to £18.61, continuing a trend seen throughout the year as shoppers hunt for savings. Continuing inflation has kept shoppers cautious despite their more frequent visits, with unit growth down 0.7%.

Watkins added: “A sustained period of summer weather through to the first week of September would be helpful to the industry as this would tip the balance back to positive unit growth.”

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