Scotland’s grocery market ended the year on a strong note, with shoppers spending £1.4 billion on take-home groceries in the four weeks to 28 December 2025, up 2.4% on last year. Grocery inflation eased slightly to 4.3%, helping households feel more confident as they stocked up for the festive season.
Supermarkets remained the main destination for Christmas shopping, accounting for 62.8% of total spend. Online shopping also had a strong festive period, growing by 8.0% in value, with 1 in 5 shoppers buying groceries online, up 9% on last year.
Own-label products continued to gain ground, growing by 3.0% compared with 1.8% for branded goods. This was driven largely by discounters, while spending on brands in supermarkets edged down. Premium own label stood out in particular, rising by 7.6% to reach £103.1 million, with 93% of households buying at least one premium product over the period.
Promotions played a bigger role in Christmas shopping too. Nearly 29.9% of all grocery sales were made on deal, the highest level since before 2021. Branded products were especially promotional, with 35.8% sold on offer, compared with 23.9% of own-label items.
Festive favourites and seasonal shifts
Fresh and chilled foods led category growth, up 5.5%, while ambient grocery also performed well. Alcohol told a more mixed story. Overall sales fell by 4.9%, with beer and cider down 20% and spirits down 7.5%. At the same time, shoppers treated themselves to more champagne and sparkling wine, with sales up 22%, and continued to show growing interest in low and no-alcohol options.
On the festive table, Scottish households bought more traditional vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and parsnips, while sales of mince pies dipped by 3.5%. Confectionery grew by 8.3%, although spend on advent calendars fell sharply by 38% as higher cocoa prices continued to push up costs. Party foods were a clear winner, with chilled dips, pizza and sausage rolls all seeing strong growth.
And as Scots prepared for Hogmanay, shortbread proved more popular than ever, with spend up 39%, driven mainly by branded products.
As January begins, shoppers are expected to turn their focus back to managing budgets and using up what’s already in the cupboards.
