Big Nights In win for snacking as cost of living bites says Reapp

Brits are opting for a ‘Big Night In’ more than ever as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, retail data experts Reapp reveals

Star Wars: Vision and Star Wars: Young Jedi debuted on streaming service Disney+ on May 4. The following day (5th) saw the biggest sales volumes of the year for crisps with over 430,000 units sold.

Crisp sales have grown month on month since the start of the year, suggesting Brits are ditching the cinema and nights out for stocking up on their favourite snacks to enjoy TV and films from the comfort of their sofas.

More recently in June, one of the highest days for sales of crisps came on the day of the first ever Manchester derby FA Cup Final. Manchester City’s 2-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United saw an influx of nearly 350,000 units of crisps sold across major supermarkets (June 3rd)*.

It was April which saw the highest month in crisps sales – with more than 7.5 million units of crisps sold – as the rocketing cost of the pub trip has forced fans into their living rooms for key televised sporting events such as the Grand National and the FA Cup knockout fixtures.

May saw sweets sales soar up to 18% on April from 1.9 million units to over 2.3 million**. Sales of sugary treats peaked at over 680,000 units on the 26th of May, the day schools across the country broke up for half-term**.

Football fans stocked up on over 58,000 units of beer for the last day of the English Premier League on Saturday May 27th which saw a nail-biting relegation battle between Leeds, Leicester and Everton ***.

The Champions League Final (June 10th) which saw Man City complete a historic treble winning season was one of the highest days for beer sales in the month (58,600 units sold across different beer brands).

More and more Brits spent one of the hottest weekends in June (16th – 17th) at home enjoying cold beers in the garden as units nearly reached 70,000 sold with temperatures nearly hitting 30 ᵒC.

Man United and Newcastle fans boosted beer sales in February when they faced each other in the Carabao Cup final. Sales volumes reach 8% higher on the 26th than a regular Sunday in February, with more than 14,000 units sold that day ***.

Reapp Commercial Director James Lamplugh comments: “While the Big Night In has always been popular amongst Brits, it’s fascinating in this instance to see Jedi power’s effect on consumer demand.

“We have seen factors such as the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis accelerate this trend and we expect to see sales in this category maintain growth as shoppers’ try to reduce the impact of rising food costs on their lives.”

*Data from major crisps brand (1st January- 28th June 2023)

**Data from major confectionary (1st January- 31st May 2023)

***Data from major beer brand (1st January – 28th June 2023)