Grocery sales and volumes grew in December 2024, compared to the year before, as consumer confidence saw an uptick over the Christmas period.

According to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG retail sales monitor, food sales increased by 1.7% year on year last month.

IGD CEO Sarah Bradbury said these results show “positive signs” for Christmas trading, with this festive season having led to a lift in shopper confidence, “with wage growth outstripping inflation” contributing to the uptick.

While food sales increased over the period, this was against a growth of 6.3% in December 2023 and below the three-month average growth of 2.1%.

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Bradbury added that while some shoppers opted to treat themselves by trading-up this Christmas, “with the economic outlook for 2025 remaining relatively weak, and with households facing the prospect of rising bills, this shopper behaviour could be short-lived.”

For 2024 overall, food growth was 3.3%, while UK total retail sales increased by 0.7% from 2023.

In December, total UK retail sales were up 3.2% year on year, against a growth of 1.8% over the same period the year before.

Despite this, BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “The crucial ‘golden quarter’ failed to give 2024 the send-off retailers were hoping for.

“Non-food was particularly hard-hit, with sales contracting from the previous year. Food sales fared better over the Christmas period, ticking up slightly from the previous year.”

The BRC is projecting sales growth to average to 1.2% in 2025, below the projected shop price inflation of 1.8%, as it noted that volumes are likely to fall this year.