Supermarkets now account for the sale of 11.9 per cent of all electrical items in the UK, according to the latest figures from Verdict Research.The figures are a rise of 6.6 per cent on the same time five years ago, representing a fundamental shift in the way that customers shop compared to the beginning of millennium.
Overall, 62 per cent of customers now regularly buy non-food items from supermarkets. Sales from supermarkets now account for £19.7 billion – 11 per cent – of the UK's £177 billion non-food economy.
Verdict's director of consulting, Neil Saunders puts the shift in shopping habits down the wider range of products, offered at lower prices, under one roof: "What the grocers offer is convenience with very competitive prices.
"For the time pressed, cost conscious customers it is a great advantage to be able to pick up good priced clothing or electrical items at the same time as doing a food shop.
"Almost everyone has to go grocery shopping and that means the grocers have a huge base of customers who regularly visit their stores. That's an enormous advantage because it allows them to easily put non-food ranges in front of those customers.
"Today's supermarkets are no longer simple grocers, they are cathedrals of consumption, the department stores of the modern age. We expect them to build on this position over the next few years and that will certainly make life difficult for other specialist players."
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