Year-on-year grocery sales in the U.K. have grown by the fastest rate in over a decade during the past 12 weeks - soaring up 7.6% - according to new share figures from Kantar.

In the most recent four weeks, there was nearly three times higher at 20.6%, pushing March up to the biggest month of grocery sales ever recorded.

The U.K. has seen grocery sales higher than during Christmas periods - usually the highest grossing time of the year.

“It has been an extraordinary month and social distancing measures have had a profound impact on all our daily lives – from the way we work and socialize, to how we shop and care for our loved ones," commented head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, Fraser McKevitt.

"Retailers and their staff have been on the frontline as households prepare for an extended stay at home, with grocery sales amounting to US$13.4 billion during the past four weeks alone."

This growth is attributed to people making additional shopping trips and buying slightly more than usual amid the Covid-19 pandemic. For U.K. shoppers, the average consumer spent an extra £62.92 on groceries over the past four weeks.

For the month of March in London, spending was up 26%. As restaurants are closed throughout many parts of the region, more shoppers are seeking fresh produce to cook from home.

When it comes to online shopping, e-commerce was up 13% from the same period last year.

"We expect restrictions on movement and relatively full grocery cupboards will mean the incredibly high levels of shopping trips made in March will drop off over the coming weeks. Regular trips to smaller local stores are likely to continue, as people avoid travelling and queues," explained McKevitt.

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