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School uniform spending drops in cost of living squeeze

Julia Kollewe

Parents and carers in Great Britain spent 12.5% less on school uniform in the run-up to the start of this academic year, turning to promotions and second-hand items to keep expenses down as families struggled with the cost of living crisis.

The average spend on school uniform was £54.53 in the four weeks to 6 September, down an eighth from £62.29 in the same period last year, according to the market research company Worldpanel by Numerator. Overall grocery inflation picked up to 2.3% from 2.1%.

The monthly report also showed that branded goods outpaced supermarkets’ cheaper own-label items for only the second time in the past year, with sales up 3.7% compared to 2.9% growth for own label – a reversal of a pattern that has defined much of this year. Despite this shift, shoppers have kept a strong appetite for promotions. Spending on grocery deals rose by £243m, or 7% year on year, significantly outstripping full-price sales growth of just 1.4%.

Grocery-only sales at Marks & Spencer jumped 14.8% year on year, measured by till spend, i.e. the value of sales (so also reflecting price rises).

Sales at Asda rose by 0.1% over the 12 weeks to 6 September, as the grocer returned to growth for the first time since March 2024. However, the Leeds-based retailer’s market share dipped to 11.5%, with a higher share of 16% in the north of England. It outperformed the market in areas such as hot drinks, ice cream and chilled poultry.

The online grocersupermarket Ocado, with sales up by 13.3%, remained the fastest -growing grocer overall, used by 4.4% of households, with a slightly higher market share of 2.2%. Lidl moved up to 8.7% of the market, from 8.3% a year ago. Sales rose by 8%, lifted by strong performance across confectionery, soft drinks and fresh produce.

Sales at Sainsbury’s were 2.9% higher than last year. The UK’s second largest grocer was just ahead of and Morrisons, where till spend rose by 2.8%, and the two supermarket chains maintained their previous market share of 15.2% and 8.4%, respectively.

At Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, sales rose by 1.7%, but its market share dipped to 27.8% from 28.1%. The German discounter Aldi’s sales edged 0.7% higher, giving it a slightly lower market of 10.6% share.

Sales at the Co-op were up by 2.9%, with market share flat at 5.5%. Waitrose sales grew by 2.8%, with its market share also stable, at 4.5%.

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