Grocery sales in the UK have beaten all-time records for the month of March as shoppers stocked up amid the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Industry researchers Kantar said 88% of households visited a supermarket between 16-19 March, equivalent to 42 million extra shopping trips over the period.
Over the past four weeks, supermarkets have recorded sales of £10.8 billion, up 20.6% on the same period last year.
Kantar said the numbers are "even higher than levels seen at Christmas", typically considered to be the busiest shopping period of the year.
Fraser McKevitt from Kantar said: "It's inevitable that shoppers will add extra items to their baskets when faced with restrictions on their movement.
"With restaurants and cafes now closed, none of us can eat meals on the go any longer and an extra 503 million meals, mainly lunches and snacks, will be prepared and eaten at home every week for the foreseeable future."
Despite the UK entering lockdown, online grocery sales only increased 13%, while Kantar said the overall increase in sales is more linked to people visiting supermarkets more often rather than spending more in one go.
