NEWS SPECIAL
COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/
EARLY XMAS Central England Co-op has announced that mince pies and Christmas puddings are
CONSUMER SPENDING GROWS IN AUGUST
on sale from today in an effort
THE LATEST BARCLAYCARD CONSUMER SPENDING REPORT
to meet customer demand
REVEALS THAT SPENDING GREW IN AUGUST, THE FIRST GROWTH
as shopping trends shift
SINCE FEBRUARY.
dramatically under Covid-19. The retailer said the move followed customer demand.
FOOTFALL PLUMMET BRC-Shoppertrak data covering August shows footfall in Scottish shopping centres and malls down 43% compared to the same period last year, the second weakest
Consumer spending grew 0.2% in August, the first uplift since February, as Brits enjoyed the last of summer by socialising and holidaying in the UK, according to the latest Barclaycard Consumer Spending Report. The report found that spending on essential items grew 5.1% yearon-year, with growth largely driven by supermarket shopping which was up 14.9%. Lower prices at the petrol pump contributed to fuel spend
declining 13.3%, although the number of transactions returned to similar levels seen last year, down just 2.4%. Despite a steady return to the high street, the data indicates the months of lockdown have accelerated a sustained shift towards online shopping. The highest category increases are seen across supermarkets, which showed a considerable 102.7% YOY rise as the popularity of online food orders prevailed.
performance of any part of the UK. Shopper footfall in Glasgow was down 35% last month compared to the same
TESCO PREPS UFC FIRST
period last year.
JJ RECORD SALES JJ Foodservice has reported record sales as the eating out market picks up and home consumers keep shopping in bulk. For four weeks in August, total sales increased by 9.27% compared to the same period the previous year. JJ picked up thousands of new customers after launching a business-toconsumer service at the start of the pandemic.
Tesco is set to launch its first urban fulfilment centre (UFC) as it gears up to capitalise on the home delivery boom. Construction of the facility in West Bromwich was paused in March but Tesco was able to recently complete the work. Automated UFCs will help the
8 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 21 / WEDNESDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2020
supermarket make use of extra space in larger stores as Tesco ramps up its focus on same day delivery, delivery within an hour of placing an order and enhanced Click & Collect capabilities. Two more UFCs will follow this year and at least another 10 are scheduled to go live in 2021.
