A Jolly Christmas Week for Independent Grocers With Sales Up 7.85%
After four weeks of ups and downs, December closed with same-store sales up 7.85 percent for week 5 compared to the previous year. For the first time in this month, we saw positive foot traffic, with the consumer count increasing 1.11 percent this last week.
As expected, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, customers embrace the official “cook-at-home” season. According to the data provided by independent grocers, same-store sales for December were up 4.05 percent compared to 2018. Meanwhile, foot traffic showed a decrease of 0.92 compared to the same period.
Overall, how did independents perform in 2019 versus 2018? We saw a slight drop in both, same-store sales and consumer count, with sales down 0.30 percent and foot traffic reduce by 0.26 percent.
What can we expect for 2020? Technology is changing every aspect of how food retailers operate, and fast-moving trends related to consumer behavior, product preference and spending motivations are having a huge impact on sales. In other words, this is a great time for grocers to enhance customer experience.