Promising start of the year in grocery retail

Grocery retail sales improved once again: sales were up 5 percent in value and grew 4 percent in volume between December 2014 and March 2015 in the 90 categories audited by Nielsen. Value sales rose 6 percent in the beer category and 7 percent among carbonated soft drinks, while fruit juice sales increased by 9 percent – informed client service director Mónika Barta. Volume sales of meat products augmented by 8 percent, beer sales rose 6 percent and cheese sales bettered by 7 percent. There was further concentration in retail channels’ market share: stores with a floor space above 400m² gained 1 percentage point and their share from value sales grew to 67 percent; 200m² and smaller stores were at 25 percent.