London, Jun. 4 - More than a quarter of Europe's shoppers have made changes to their grocery shopping due to the recession, and 70 percent of them plan to stick with their new habits when the economy recovers, a survey showed on Thursday.
International food and grocery experts IGD said almost a third of shoppers in France, Germany, Spain and Britain were buying more supermarket own-brand products to save money, while over a quarter were visiting discount grocers like Aldi, Lidl, Penny and Dia more often.
"Shoppers are shopping around more, wasting less, seeking out promotions, planning meals better and taking their time to find the best deals," said IGD Chief Executive Joanne Denney-Finch.
Some 29 percent of those surveyed have yet to make major changes to their grocery shopping, but expect to do so if economic conditions worsen.
IGD's research was based on interviews with 1,063 British shoppers, 670 French shoppers, 841 German shoppers and 401 Spanish shoppers in March 2009.
A survey of 120 food and drink manufacturers also showed suppliers responding to changing shopping trends, IGD said.
Some 47 percent are putting a strong emphasis on price and value in their advertising, while 43 percent have increased promotions and 42 percent have changed pack sizes in response to consumer trends.
