Online orders reaccelerate in March (ACI)
Online grocery sales grew 43% to $9.3B in March. After a drop in February, online sales in March returned to the same level as of January. Ship to home sales decreased 16%, while delivery and pickup sales grew 78%. More than 69M households placed an average of 2.8 orders online in March. All of the grocers expect online ordering to grow in 2021 even as overall sales decline.
U.K. grocery demand re-accelerates (NOMD)
As seen in the chart below, CPG demand in the U.K. re-accelerated after lapping the two peak weeks of stockpiling last year. CPG demand increased 29% for the week ended April 3, accelerating from +17% in the week prior. Frozen food demand increased 16% for the week ended April 3, accelerating from +12% in the week prior. The U.K. had recently eased restrictions allowing two households to meet outdoors in time for the Easter weekend. The shift to food at home consumption was not as pronounced in the U.K. due to a lower mix pre-pandemic. The comparisons are not as difficult as in the U.S.
Napa Valley welcomes back events (BSPE)
The California Department of Public Health said events statewide could resume on April 15. The size of the event ranges from 25 to 400 people depending on several factors. Since Napa County is in the orange tier, an outdoor gathering can have up to 300 people as long as guests can show proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test result. If guests do not have either, the capacity limit is 100. Indoor events can have up to 150 people with proof of vaccination or negative test result. The events industry in California has also circled June 15 on the calendar. Governor Newsom has previously said the tier system could be eliminated by that time. California’s wineries redirected sales from their tasting rooms to the mailroom during the pandemic. Being able to sell out of their tasting rooms would be the highest margin sale for the wineries. Weddings will be among the first to return to the wineries.
