In Q4 2021:
- Number of items per basket reached an annual high of 4.25 per visit, up 12% on Q3 2021
- Double digit growth in sales of food-to-go (13%), grocery (12%) and household items (10%) on Q4 2020
- Sales of Lockets and Halls increased by 90% (vs. Q4 2020) as Brits sought quick relief for cold symptoms
Welwyn Garden City, 13 January 2022: New data from PayPoint’s UK network of 28,000 convenience stores has revealed that Brits purchased an increasing number of items at their local stores when compared to the same period last year.
Despite lockdown restrictions varying between the Home Nations, between October and December 2021, consumers purchased an average of 4.25 items per basket across PayPoint convenience stores, up 12% on the previous quarter.
Analysis of PayPoint’s different product categories* also revealed unique consumer purchasing insights as several categories recorded double digit growth year-on-year. There was a 13% increase in food to go (which includes family favourites such as Cadbury Mini Rolls and croissants), a 12% jump in grocery (significantly attributed to sales of energy drinks such as Lucozade) while sales of household items (including toilet rolls and cleaning products) increased by 10%.
As the winter weather took its toll, sales of Halls and Lockets increased by more than 95% and 92% respectively in Q4 2021 versus the same period in 2020, as a large number of Brits sought quick relief from the many nasty colds going around.
PayPoint has also published its latest Convenience Basket Register, a quarterly glimpse of big sellers across six key product categories. Between October and December 2021, top selling products included:
- Cadbury Choc Mini Rolls (5 pack)
- Cabico Tortillas Wraps
- Lanchester Dairies Fresh Milk
- Utterly Butterly
- Halls Mentholyptus Extra Strong
- Halls Soothers Blackcurrant
- Young’s Fish Fingers (10 pack)
- Cadbury’s Flake 99 Cone
- Lucozade Energy Orange
- Boost Sport Orange
- Knights Cider (4 pack)
- San Miguel (4 pack)
Anthony Sappor, Head of Retail Proposition & Partnerships said: “Throughout winter, people nationwide continued to shop locally and support their nearby convenience stores. An increase on the number of items purchased per convenience store shows that despite the numerous benefits of shopping online, it’s the UK’s convenience store sectors that Brits continue to rely on for many of the day-to-day purchases.”
* The Convenience Basket Register highlights the top two selling items during the quarter across six categories of produce: bread & cakes, chilled & fresh food, confectionary, frozen food, grocery and off licence.