UK supermarket sales up 3.3 in 4 weeks to May 18 NIQ
Ocado, Lidl and MS are UK39;s fastest growing grocers
Nearly half of UK households interested in Euro 2024

LONDON, May 31 Reuters The return of some warm weather in May helped drive sales growth at British supermarkets and they are set for a boost from the upcoming Euro 2024 soccer championship, according to industry data published on Friday.

Market researcher NIQ said sales at UK supermarkets rose 3.3 in the four weeks ending May 18 yearonyear, thanks to a brief period of hot weather in the week ending May 11.

The data is the most uptodate snapshot of UK consumer behaviour.

It was the warm weather which helped to move the dial in terms of shopper spending at the UK supermarkets, more so than food inflation, which is expected to remain at around 3 for the next few months, Mike Watkins, NIQs UK head of retailer and business insight, said.

He said NIQ39;s survey data showed at least 45 of UK households are interested in Euro 2024. Of those 69 plan to watch the matches at home by themselves or with other household members.

This could be a boon for supermarket sales of drinks, snacks and food for eventdriven categories, such as barbecues, said Watkins.

The tournament, held in Germany, runs from June 14 to July 14, with both England and Scotland participating.

However, Watkins did point out that comparative numbers are tough as last year the UK enjoyed its hottest June on record.

Over the 12 weeks to May 18,…