Total sales in the week to October 5 excluding fuel were 7.9% higher than last year, with the mixed early autumn weather creating quite polarised dining patterns.

Waitrose commercial director Mark Williamson said: “The cooler weather means many people are looking ahead to seasonal events; with Halloween around the corner, we’ve seen a spike in demand for pumpkins – sales are currently 66% higher than this time last year.”
Somewhat less seasonably, customers have also been snapping up barbecue meat, to enjoy possibly the last barbecue of the year. Sales of the range increased by 90% last week.