Brits turn to teas and biscuits for comfort

BRITS working from home during lockdown have turned to the comforts of coffee, tea and biscuits, and a good book.

An additional £24m on tea and coffee and an extra £19m on biscuits in the past three months, says market research firm Kantar.

The company also reported that grocery sales reached a record £31.6bn in the 12 weeks to 12 July.

We’ve also been reading much more, according to publisher Bloomsbury, which has seen book sales jump.

“The cost of working from home is starting to add up for many,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, talking about the extra cash we’ve spent on hot drinks and biscuits.

The research firm said grocery sales during lockdown have climbed 16.9%, the fastest growth rate since its records began in 1994.

With more people turning to online supermarkets, the home delivery grocers now account for 13% of the market, up from 7.4% in March at the start of lockdown.

He said that despite pubs, bars and restaurants re-opening recently, more than half of consumers say they are still uncomfortable with visiting a pub.

“As a result, take-home alcohol sales were still up by 41% this month as people were unable or avoided drinking out,” said Mr McKevitt.