Is it really all over for the supermarket own-brand range?

According to the latest grocery market figures, shoppers are turning their backs on ‘value’ goods. Is this the surest sign yet that the British economy has turned a corner and is finally in recovery, asks James Moore

Sales of branded goods are up 6.1 per cent, overtaking own-label items (PA)

This time last year, supermarket own-label goods were flying off the shelves. It was the height of the cost-of-living crisis, when food price rises peaked at a stomach turning 17.1 per cent. A visit to the supermarket often felt worse than a trip to the dentist for a painful procedure.

But, according to a telling statistic tucked away in the latest grocery market update from researcher Kantar, shoppers are tired of buying value ranges and are moving back to branded goods.

In the past four weeks, sales of branded goods have overtaken own-label items, with sales up by 6.1 per cent (compared to just 4.7 per cent for value ranges).