Five years on, new data from Kantar reveals that Covid-19 has permanently altered consumer shopping patterns. 

The insights company found that supermarket visits have declined, with households making one fewer trip in February 2025 compared to the same month in 2020. 

In contrast, online shopping continues to grow, accounting for 12.3% of the market in February 2025, up from 8.6% in February 2020. 

Consumers are also seeking more simplicity in their eating and drinking habits. 

Sally Ball, head of retail at Kantar, said: “One of the most interesting changes has been a move to simpler eating habits as we look for convenient shortcuts to make our lives easier.” 

This trend may help explain the popularity of RTDs, which offer a shortcut to traditional cocktail-making. 

SUPERMARKET GROWTH 

Overall, take-home sales at grocers rose 3.6% in the four weeks to February 23, compared to the same period last year. 

Ocado remained the fastest-growing retailer for the tenth consecutive month, with spending up 9.6%, maintaining a 1.9% market share. 

M&S continued its growth, with grocery sales up 12.2% across its bricks-and-mortar stores. 

Aldi saw a 4.9% rise in sales, reaching a 10.3% market share, its highest level since January 2024, as it attracted 377,000 more shoppers. 

Lidl increased its market share to 7.3%, up 0.3 percentage points from February 2024, with sales rising 8.1%. 

Sainsbury’s grew its market share from 15.5% to 15.7% in the 12 weeks to February 23, while Morrisons held 8.6%, and Asda has 12.6%. 

Co-op continued its growth with a 5.1% market share, while Waitrose’s sales rose by 3.2%. Spending at Iceland increased 0.7%, keeping its market share at 2.3%.