‘Picky bits’ on the menu as British shoppers snap up picnic food in heatwave

Consumers also turn to supermarket deals to save money, helping slow grocery price inflation Shopping baskets took on a decidedly summery complexion during last month’s heatwaves as consumers filled up on a British picnic staple: picky bits , and grocery inflation slowed. Spending rose on foods such as potato salad, olives and coleslaw, while ice-cream sales also increased, according to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator, a market research company. But shoppers also turned to deals to save money, causing grocery price rises to slow to their lowest rate in nearly two years. Supermarket prices rose by 2.1% in the four weeks to 9 August, Worldpanel said on Tuesday, well below the 2.6% increase recorded in the previous month and the slowest increase since October 2024. Nearly one-third of all sales across UK supermarkets were part of a promotion, as shoppers tried to keep costs down.

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