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Pandemic dip for deodorants and cosmetics

Lockdowns followed by home working and restricted socialising weighed heavily on sales of some personal care products, according to Nielsen IQ.

The consumer research specialist reported a sales decline for both deodorants (-£37.8m) and cosmetics (-£40.0m) in The Grocer’s Top Products survey 2021.

But with more time spent at home, shoppers treated themselves more regularly with sales of snacking items such as chocolate (+£147.7m) and bagged snacks (+£130.6m) rising significantly.

Sales of toilet rolls, at the mercy of stockpiling and shortages in 2020, normalised at a higher level while surface cleaner products (-£39.5m) and soap (-£32.1m) both declined.

Among the trends identified in a Barclaycard report was the continued growth of online shopping which increased 63.2% compared to face-to-face retail spending.

Demand for convenient and local shopping options drove growth (+74%) for food & drink specialist retailers, such as butchers, greengrocers and meal-kit providers.

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