From the UK heatwave prompting rising retail sales and footfall, to Lidl leapfrogging Morrisons to become the UK’s fifth largest supermarket, and predictions of a £2.9bn World Cup spending boost, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Retail sales hot up during half-term heatwave

Rising temperatures during the UK heatwave saw a surge in sales of summer essentials, with ice cubes, sun cream and BBQ fayre flying off the shelves.

As the mercury rose, retail sales across summer goods soared as Brits embraced outdoor socialising or sought relief from the heat.

Ocado said sales of smash burgers and Pimm’s were up +63% over the last week, while Tesco sold three times as many ice cubes. Sales of electric fans at Tesco increased by x30 on the week prior, with sun cream revenues also jumping sixfold.

Data from MRI Software showed that the hot weather also delivered strong footfall performance across many parts of the UK over the Bank Holiday, with coastal towns seeing a +48.7% week-on-week rise in store traffic.

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Ryman partners with Deliveroo ahead of exam season

Stationer, Ryman, will partner exclusively with Deliveroo to offer on-demand deliveries across 185 UK stores ahead of the start of exam season.

Becoming the first stationer to join the q-commerce platform, the tie-up allows UK shoppers to order from over 4,000 items from Ryman for fast fulfilment in as little as 25 minutes.

“From ink cartridge emergencies to eleventh-hour school projects and saving the day with urgent birthday presents, this partnership will help to keep homes and offices running smoothly,” said Theo Paphitis, Chairman and Owner at Ryman.

Ryman orders will be supported by Deliveroo Shopping and Deliveroo Express, its white-label, on-demand delivery solution which allows customers to order directly through the Ryman website or app at checkout.

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Lidl leapfrogs Morrisons as the UK’s 5th largest supermarket

Official figures from Worldpanel have shown that Lidl has overtaken Morrisons to become the UK’s fifth largest supermarket, now holding 8.6% market share, as discounter switching and value-led sales rise.

Switching played a key role in Lidl’s market share growth, with the discounter’s own data suggesting that in the past year it had won £611 million worth of spend from rivals, with over 3 in 5 households now shopping at Lidl.

“Becoming Great Britain’s fifth largest supermarket is a significant milestone,” said Ryan McDonnell, CEO of Lidl GB. “As customer expectations shift, households are looking for value they can rely on without compromising on quality.”

Tesco remains the UK’s largest grocer, according to the Worldpanel figures, growing market share to 28.2%, followed by Sainsbury’s (15.2%) and Asda (11.5%).

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Guest Post | The power of convenience in buying journeys

As shoppers demand fewer points of friction and more dependable, convenient experiences across their buying journeys, Visualsoft’s Matthew Eley explores what this means for retailers’ innovation strategies.

In our latest guest post, he discusses:
💰 How simplicity and friction-free shopping can drive full price sales
🌟 Why consistency either builds or breaks shopper confidence
💳 Omnichannel strategies for loyalty, payments and returns
📈 Powering convenience as a commercial and a CX driver

Read the full article 👉 Guest Post | Visualsoft’s Matthew Eley on the power of convenience in new buying journeys.

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World Cup spending to deliver a £2.9bn boost to retail

The World Cup is forecast to generate £2.9 billion in retail sales, with food and drink, electricals and sportswear set to see the biggest boost from the tournament, according to predictions from VoucherCodes.

An estimated 26.4 million consumers will make a purchase for at least one of the games, with shoppers predicted to spend +81% more more during this World Cup compared to the 2022 tournament in Qatar when fans shelled out £1.6 billion.

With the tournament taking place in the U.S., late match times, combined with price consciousness among shoppers, will mean 31.2 million fans are expected to watch the tournament from home.

Food and drink is forecast to see the biggest revenue boost, with spend expected to tip £1.95 billion, while electricals could see a £325 million spending rise.

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HubBox inks new deal with UPS for secure PUDO deliveries

Out of home (OOH) delivery software provider, HubBox, has signed a multi-year agreement with UPS, becoming the checkout integration partner for UPS’ Access Point deliveries in North America.

The partnership comes as porch piracy is growing in North America – last year an estimated 228million packages were stolen from customers’ door steps, with retailers losing $7.9billion as a result through replacing or refunding orders.

This is placing a growing emphasis on offering more secure pick-up, drop-off (PUDO) locations, as HubBox’ CEO, Sam Jarvis, explained:

“For a long time, OOH was viewed in the U.S. as a “nice-to-have”… Today’s reality is different: secure delivery has officially become a customer retention strategy.”

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Shoppers turn to AI to support their grocery shops

Consumers are now turning to AI to help them with their food shops, comparing prices, researching products and buying groceries direct through AI platforms, says research from Rithum.

Its study of 1,000 shoppers found that 36% have used AI tools to help buy groceries in the past six months, showing the growing role the technology is playing in customers’ everyday retail decisions.

Among the shoppers who use AI for grocery purchases, two-thirds (66%) compare prices or weigh up different options before buying, while nearly half (47%) research product information. A further 28% have already used AI tools to complete a grocery purchase.

“Consumers are using AI as a personal grocery comparison tool, forcing retailers to compete in entirely new discovery environments,” said Sam Griffin, VP of Strategy & Engagement at Rithum.

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