New data reveals buying habits of new year shoppers at Central England Co-op looking to make a ‘new start’

Posted by james brindle | Published: 11/01/2021

Central England Co-op has released details of what shoppers looking to kick-start the new year with a health kick or a lifestyle change put in their baskets last January as people make their resolutions for the year ahead.

Whether looking to get healthier following Christmas excesses, cut down on alcohol for ‘Dry January’ or thinking about their impact on the environment by becoming one of a growing number taking part in ‘Veganuary’, data from Central England Co-op stores shows some interesting trends on the sort of items shoppers turned to last new year.

After indulging in treats over Christmas, shoppers unsurprisingly looked to up their intake of fruit and veg in January and the data reveals some interesting and surprising trends.

In terms of fruit, stone fruits and melons saw significant gains in popularity last January – Co-op Mangoes saw a huge 86% rise in sales, while Co-op Cantaloupe Melon saw a rise of 59% year on year.

In terms of vegetables, loose Broccoli florets were a popular purchase up 56% year on year, while organic veg such as Co-op Organic Mushrooms (up 20%) and Co-op Organic Cauliflower (up 43%) saw sizable gains.

The biggest growth in terms of veg were Co-op Hot Mixed Chillies (30g) which saw an 81% rise, perhaps fuelled by people looking to spice up their own homecooked healthy or vegan recipes, or just more people looking to cook from scratch in the new year.

This can perhaps also be seen with the data revealing a growth in herbs and spices last January up 6% overall, with the biggest seller Co-op Ground Black Pepper (up 5.8%) and the biggest grower Co-op LBU Lazy Garlic (up 5.8%).

Unsurprisingly the data reveals a rise in shoppers turning to health foods (up 12.3%) with the trend also towards shoppers seeking snacks suitable for those on a vegan diet.

There were big jumps in dairy free chocolate (Co-op Free From Chocolate Bar 35g up 50%) and healthy nut snacks, with Co-op Healthy Snacking Cashew Nuts (up 16%) and Co-op Healthy Snacking Unsalted Mixed Nuts (up 24%).

Further indication of people looking towards products suitable for a vegan lifestyle, can be seen with the big growth in speciality milks and milk substitutes, up 32% overall, with the biggest sellers Alpro Almond Unsweetened (up 43% with 5,000 more units sold year on year) and Alpro Fresh Soya Drink (up 19%), while traditional milk sales stayed flat.

‘Dry January’ also had an impact on what shoppers put in their baskets with low alcohol drinks continuing to be a growth area with a 32% growth year on year.

The biggest seller was Co-op Low Alcohol Sauvignon Blanc (75cl) with 1,100 units sold while ‘Nosecco’ was up 63% year on year.

This January Central England Co-op stores have great deals on fruit and veg, new products in the Co-op Gro vegan range and an expanded range of low alcohol drinks.

For more product details and ideas on how to ‘take heart in a good start’ to 2021, visit Central England Co-op’s special webpage at www.centralengland.coop/food/healthy-living/live-a-lighter-lifestyle

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish.  

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.4 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop