Food & Drink sector performance – April 2023

Food and drink sales in April continued the same trajectory seen in recent months; volume sales were negative and value sales were positive, driven by ongoing inflation. In response, retailers have been stepping up their support to shoppers, with further high-profile innovation and investment in loyalty schemes in April, providing access to better prices.

Despite the continued doom and gloom, IGD’s Shopper Confidence Index improved a little in April. Trust in the food and consumer goods industry saw a notable improvement, especially around availability, with 65% trusting the industry to maintain good availability compared to 58% the previous month. Despite rising costs, our data shows shoppers continue to prioritise health and sustainability. Some 87% of shoppers say they are trying to eat more healthily (88% April ‘22), and 79% claiming the impact on the environment was important to them when choosing what food or grocery product to buy (80% April ‘22).

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