Parents and carers in Great Britain spent 12.5% less on school uniform ahead of this academic year, as households squeezed by the cost of living crisis turned to promotions and secondhand items to cut costs. The average uniform spend fell to £54.53 in the four weeks to 6 September, down from £62.29 a year earlier, according to Worldpanel by Numerator, whose head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said "value is the watchword for parents this back-to-school season."

A Worldpanel survey found 44% of households prioritised low cost above all else when buying uniform, even at the expense of quality, while a third tried to balance cost and quality. Separately, overall grocery inflation rose to 2.3% from 2.1%, though grocery sales still grew 2% year on year, with supermarket trips falling as the new term approached. Among retailers, Ocado remained the fastest-growing grocer with sales up 13.3% and a 2.2% market share, Lidl rose to 8.7%, Asda returned to growth for the first time since March 2024 despite a dip in market share to 11.5%, and Tesco's share slipped to 27.8%.