Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on retail purchase and price promotion in Scotland between 2019 and 2020

Summary

This report provides information on retail purchasing patterns of food and drink in Scotland throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing trends throughout 2020 and 2019, using data from Kantar. It follows on from data last published by FSS in early 2021, which presented trends in purchasing patterns in Scotland, between January 2019 and July 2020. This updated report includes additional detail on purchase by social class, price promotion and online delivery throughout 2020.

The data presented relates to retail purchasing in Scotland, and refers to take home purchases. It does not include food and drink purchased for consumption outside of the home (OOH). Therefore, some or all of the increases in household purchasing from food retailers seen post lockdown will reflect a reduction in food and drink purchased and consumed from the eating out of the home sector and do not necessarily mean more food and drink has been purchased overall. Additionally, the advice to stay at home and the closure of schools and many workplaces will have contributed to changes in purchasing patterns moving from out of home to retail purchases into the home.

Key findings include:

• The volume of total food and drink that we purchased into the home increased by 8.2% in 2020 compared to 2019. The greatest peak was seen the week before the first national lockdown was announced, when 40.1% more food and drink was purchased into the home compared to the same week in 2019.
• During this same week, the number of occasions we shopped for food and drink was 43.0% higher compared to 2019. However, the overall number of occasions we shopped for food and drink for the home decreased by 8.6%  2020, compared to 2019.
• Online food shopping occasions increased by 78.8% in 2020, compared to 2019, while the volume of total food and drink purchased into the home in this way increased by 63.9% during this time.
• Spend on food and drink purchased into the home in 2020 was 12.6% (£1.1 billion) greater than in 2019. The greatest peak was observed the week immediately before the first national lockdown in 2020, when spend was 53.7% greater in 2020 compared to the same week in 2019.
• The take home purchase of energy per person, per day increased by 10.9% (241kcal) in 2020, compared to 2019. The greatest increase was seen during the second quarter of 2020, after COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, with an increase of 16.8% compared to the second quarter of 2019.
• Discretionary food and drink products, predominantly confectionery and sweet biscuits, contributed the greatest percentage of calories (22.7%) and total sugar (36.4%) purchased into the home during 2020.
• Discretionary food and drink products represented around 25% of all food and drink purchased into the home within social classes AB, C1, C2 and D. However, this increased to 29.9% of volume within social class E.
• Food and drink purchased on a price promotion continues to be skewed towards less healthy categories, with discretionary food and drink (36.6%) purchased on price promotion at greater levels than non-discretionary foods (24.7%).

This report complements and adds to the evidence base which supports action to limit the availability, advertising and price promotion of high fat/salt/sugar products, as recommended by FSS.

It also provides an important baseline to continue monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our retail purchasing patterns in Scotland, to understand to what extent our retail purchase returns to pre-pandemic levels.