Slowdown in the growth rate of grocery sales

In the February 2015-January 2016 period HUF 1,550 billion worth of groceries were sold, 4 percent more than in the previous 12 months. However, in the year before last the growth rate was 5 percent. Like-for-like volume sales improved by 3 percent – one year earlier the growth was 5 percent. Stores’ revenue from the sales of the following six categories increased above the average: beer (5 percent), carbonated soft drink (6 percent), mineral water (10 percent), fruit juice (11 percent), fruit yogurt (7 percent) and dairy snacks (9 percent). Nielsen retail service manager Ágnes Szűcs-Villányi told that value sales of stores belonging to the 51-2,500m² channel augmented by 6 percent. Shops bigger than 2,500m were at a standstill in terms of value sales, while 50m² and smaller shops bettered sales by 0.4 percent. The share of Budapest and Pest County in grocery value sales rose 7 percent in the examined period.