NIQ’s Total Till data series said sales growth in supermarkets was at 3.7%, down from 5.8% recorded in July.

The company said its data showed that UK households were choosing to reduce spending to save money in the face of growing food inflation, and after splurging in early summer heatwaves and during sports tournaments.

There was a drop in average spend per visit, down 3.1% compared with this time last year, but visits increased by 6.2% as shoppers took advantage of promotional offers, which accounted for 23% of all value sales across all stores.

A desire for more budget friendly, quick meal solutions saw a rise in ‘dinner for tonight’ shopping missions, with one in five shopping trips consisting of small baskets of fresh food, chilled meat, and fruit and vegetables.

In the fresh and ambient categories, dried vegetables and pulses ( 28%), fresh pastry and dough ( 15%) and packaged grocery ( 4.2%) all saw increases.

Frozen fruit also saw strong demand, growing 13.2% in value and in 7% units.

Ocado (up 14.1%) continued to outperform both stores and online channels, while Lidl ( 11.2%) had a strong increase in new shoppers with almost one in two UK households ( 49%) shopping at Lidl over the last 12 weeks. 

Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, said: “After the three heatwaves in early summer, this reset was expected and the slowdown in spend was felt across the industry.

“The start of peak summer holidays also disrupted shopping habits more than usual as the uptick in food inflation would have given many shoppers a reason to delay some non-essential spend for a few weeks. However, with shoppers looking to dine in at home, in the summer this often means more alfresco with barbeques replacing some meals out or ordered in. Supermarkets will be optimistic about a strong end to summer 2025.”