by James Davey
(Reuters) – More than one in five British households say they are struggling to make ends meet as food price rises hit 7% in the four weeks to May 15, their highest level for 13 years, shows Tuesday a study by the firm Kantar.
Among the 22% of consumers experiencing financial difficulties, more than nine in ten are worried about rising food prices, which ranks second among concerns after soaring energy prices, the study finds. .
Kantar said prices were rising particularly fast for dog food, savory snacks and beef, while spirits prices fell.
UK consumer price inflation hit 9% year on year in April, a level not seen since official records began in the late 1980s. The Bank of England believes inflation will top 10 % during the year.
“People are really feeling the pressure at the supermarket checkout and they have to stretch their budgets further to cope with the rising prices,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer sales at Kantar.
According to the firm, supermarket sales fell 4.4% in the 12 weeks to May 15 year-on-year, while German discount chains Aldi and Lidl saw their fastest growth in the same period. , with sales up 5.8% and 6.0% respectively.
Despite budget cuts, Kantar believes that the festivities marking 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, scheduled between June 2 and June 5, 2022, should lead to record sales in supermarkets.
The 2012 Diamond Jubilee saw supermarket sales increase by 10% in the week leading up to the festivities, Kantar points out.
(Report James Davey, French version Diana Mandiá, edited by Kate Entringer)
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