Price hikes, zebra-striping, grocery sales: 5 interesting stats to start your week

Majority of businesses to rise prices and cut hiring

The majority of businesses plan to introduce price increases as a result of increased Employer National Insurance contributions and the rise in the minimum wage, according to new research.

More than half (54%) of businesses say higher employment costs mean they need to pass on costs to customers in 2025, Grant Thornton’s business outlook tracker suggests.

The survey of 800 UK companies in December 2024 also finds 53% of firms anticipate they will reduce hiring or cut jobs, and offer reduced or no pay increases and bonuses to employees in 2025.

Two-thirds (66%) plan on reviewing their current employee benefits offering, while 16% expect to reduce their investment in employee rewards and benefits across the next six months.

More medium-size businesses plan to cut jobs (55%) compared to larger firms (42%). 

“After the last few years of having to manage costs due to high inflation, wage growth and rising interest rates, just when there is light at the end of the tunnel, the market is now faced with further cost increases and the likelihood of interest rates staying higher for longer,” says Schellion Horn, head of economic consulting at Grant Thornton.

Source: Grant Thornton

Restaurant delivery and takeaway sales up 6.2%

The UK’s leading restaurant groups saw like-for-like growth in delivery and takeaway sales for the 18th consecutive month in November, according to CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker.

Sales grew by 6.2% in November, the highest jump since June 2024. Sales rose by 14.7% for the first 11 months of last year.

Takeaway and click-and-collect sales were also up 5.5% in November, growing for the fourth consecutive month. 

Meanwhile, at-home orders increased their share of restaurant total sales, making up around 16p in each pound – a 1p increase on November 2023. 

According to Karl Chessell, director of CGA by NIQ, the real-terms growth in at-home orders was vital to restaurants’ success in a challenging 2024.

“The revival of takeaways after a long run of negative numbers is especially welcome, given the higher margins they can generate,” Chessell adds. 

“With spending still tight for many consumers, some of the recent growth may have come at the expense of eating-out sales and cost pressures will continue to make for a tough environment for hospitality groups, but we can be confident about more strong trading for deliveries and takeaways in 2025.” 

Source: CGA by NIQ

Growing trend of ‘zebra-striping’ set to continue in 2025

Over half (52%) of consumers in the US and UK say they will or are likely to “zebra stripe” this month, according to Diageo’s latest trends report.

Zebra-striping is the act of moderating the consumption of alcohol by alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during a single social occasion.

In the US and UK, zebra-striping has been increasing in popularity over the last year and is predicted to continue. Across both markets, 53% of those who adopted this method before did so more in 2024 than in previous years.

Six in 10 (61%) consumers say they are either definitely or likely to moderate their alcohol this way in 2025, while more than a quarter (27%) of Brits have zebra-striped at some point.

The practice is particularly popular among those aged 25 to 44. A third (33%) of those aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 in the UK claim to have tried this method previously. Meanwhile, it’s more popular among women in 2025, 57% compared to 51% for men.

This trend reflects a broader rise, the report uncovered, in online conversations around self-care, wellness and slower social interactions. The report notes 79% year-on-year growth in discussions around ‘decelerated occasions’ and a 37% rise in discussions around ‘celebrating self-love’.

Source: Diageo

Most Brits struggle to hit financial goals

Millions of Brits set financial goals each year, from reducing debt to saving for a deposit on their first home, yet over four in five (81%) consumers say they struggle to achieve them.

In a survey of over 1,000 UK consumers, 27% of respondents say unexpected expenses were the biggest reason for their setbacks. Meanwhile, 24% struggle to stay motivated, 18% feel discouraged by not seeing quick results and 17% are constrained by time.

However, the survey highlights the importance of a strong credit history and finds 24% of consumers believe improving their credit history will boost their overall financial wellbeing in 2025.

Almost a quarter (23%) believe having a good credit history will help reduce or pay off debts, 17% say it will free up more disposable income and 15% have increased confidence in financial planning.

Source: Loqbox

Grocery sales reach record high during Christmas period

UK grocery sales hit a record £14.6bn in sales over the three weeks leading up to Christmas, despite grocery price inflation being at its highest level since March 2024, according to NielsenIQ (NIQ) Total Till data.

Growth was fuelled by “intense discounts and increased promotional activity”. Over a quarter (27%) of all FMCG sales were purchased on promotion, 37% of this driven by brands over the four-week period.

In-store visits rose 8%, helping in-store sales to increase by 3.6% on the same period last year. However, online sales fell 1.7%, causing the overall share of ecommerce sales to drop to 11.9% from 12.5% a year ago.

According to data from Kantar, Tesco saw a 5% increase in sales – more than double the 2.2% growth registered across the total grocery market – taking its market share to 28.5% versus 27.7% in 2023.

Sainsbury’s achieved its highest share since December 2019 at 16% thanks to 3.5% sales growth, which outpaced the market. Morrisons’ sales increased by 0.4% to claim market share of 8.6%.

However, the picture was not so bright for Asda which experienced a 5.8% decrease in sales. Likewise, Co-op sales fell 0.2%, taking its market share to 5.3%. Aldi notched up a 2.9% sales rise to claim a 10% market share, while Lidl’s sales increased by 6.6% to achieve market share of 7.3%.

Source: Nielsen and Kantar