UK shoppers switch to budget ranges as grocery price inflation hits record high

Sales of the very cheapest supermarket own-label ranges have risen by 42%, Kantar said. Photograph: Islandstock/Alamy

British shoppers are making a big switch to budget ranges and discount chains as supermarket inflation reached a record high of nearly 15% last month, driving up the average annual bill by £682 a year.

Just over a quarter of all households say they are struggling financially, double the proportion a year ago, as the cost of groceries soared 14.7% in October compared with a year ago. That is the highest level since Kantar, which produces the data, began tracking price changes in 2008.