Royal wedding sees cider, sun care and Champagne sales pop as shoppers celebrate in the sun

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Royal wedding sees cider, sun care and Champagne sales pop as shoppers celebrate in the sun.

Nielsen, the data and measurement company, has released data indicating that the royal wedding contributed to an uplift in sales of cider, sparkling wine, and other FMCG products.

It was a robust week for supermarket sales as the combination of the royal wedding, FA Cup Final and warm, sunny weather proved a perfect mix for shoppers to celebrate with family and friends. Nielsen's data shows that shoppers spent £100m more than they did in the same week last year, during the week that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot.

Raising a royal toast

The nation was in a celebratory mood, with shoppers buying an array of party food and drinks as they enjoyed alfresco dining in the sun. Cider sales were up by 46%, pre-mixed alcoholic drinks by 45%, sparkling wine by 36% and Champagne 34%. The unusually warm weather also led to ice cube sales rising a huge 83%. Sales of mixers more than doubled, and lemonade and flavoured carbonates saw increases of 38% and 27% respectively, as mixed drinks featured heavily in the celebrations.

Good mood food

Shoppers were firing up their BBQs, with sales of firelighters up 200%. Ice cream sales saw a 49% uplift, as temperatures reached the low 20s. Typical barbecue staples such as fresh dips, prepared salads, disposable cutlery and party accessories all saw a lift as the royals brought together friends and family to celebrate the occasion.

UK supermarkets benefited from the last royal wedding back in April 2011, when William and Kate stopped traffic as they celebrated with the nation. This time round, whilst there wasn't the benefit of the extra bank holiday to boost basket spend, supermarkets still embraced the royal wedding event as a way of enticing shoppers to add more items into their baskets. The strongest value sales at the last royal wedding were in confectionery, crisps, snacks, soft drinks, and alcohol.

Mike Watkins, head of retailer insight at Nielsen commented: "The royal couple's big day has given a boost to both the nation's mood and supermarket sales, which just shows that taking the time to tap into cultural events such as the wedding still pays off for retailers."

Source: Nielsen Scantrack Grocery Multiples w/e 19th May 2018 vs w/e 20th May 2017