GroceryAid invested more than £6.5 million providing financial, emotional and practical support in the past year.
Incidents of support rose by 76 per cent compared to the previous year.
23 per cent more financial grants were awarded in the past twelve months, and 136 per cent more beneficiaries accessed cost-of-living-based advice.
But more still needs to be done – less than one in four (23 per cent) grocery workers know that support is available to them during tough times.
GroceryAid, the grocery industry’s leading welfare charity, has reported a 76 per cent increase in incidents of support between April 2024 and March 2025, highlighting the ongoing need for support within the grocery industry. In total, the Charity assisted with over 139,000 incidents of support, to the value of more than £6.5 million (up 8 per cent on the previous year), according to its latest Impact Report 2024/25; which assesses the pressures members of the grocery industry are facing, and how they are being supported.
The report reveals a rise in demand across all service areas, with financial grants increasing by 23 per cent and helpline calls rising by 3 per cent as colleagues continue to feel the impact of cost-of-living increases.
The housing crisis in particular has impacted grocery workers, with colleagues spending higher proportions of their income on rents and mortgages. GroceryAid’s grants enabled many struggling with arrears to remain in their homes, while the Charity’s partnership with Shelter Plus provided 165 hours of specialist advice for complex housing issues. Family support also reached new levels, with a 12.5 per cent increase in children receiving £150 School Essentials Grants, helping families ensure children started their academic year with new uniforms and equipment. The Charity also saw a 35 per cent increase in grants specifically for caring households.
Mental health and emotional support services also experienced significant growth, with structured counselling support rising by 67 per cent, and family and relationship counselling up by 33 per cent. The Charity’s 24/7 free and confidential helpline delivered critical support across the industry, delivering more than 5,300 in-the moment counselling sessions with qualified counsellors across the year. Furthermore, last year saw the introduction of counselling for children aged 5-11 years, through GroceryAid’s partner Relate, providing even more emotional support across the industry.
When it comes to practical support, GroceryAid provided 60 per cent more legal advice sessions in the last year, 73 per cent of which related to family law. What’s more, the Charity saw a 151 per cent increase in access to support for debt advice, demonstrating the clear need for support in this area.
“The Impact Report clearly demonstrates the rising demand across all our services. We are proud of the positive impact we have been able to achieve while the industry continues to experience a range of challenges,” comments Kieran Hemsworth, GroceryAid’s CEO.
“In the last 12 months, we have redefined our 2030 vision, purpose and values. We are looking to help grocery workers by providing relief in tough times and have focused on helping more colleagues through enhanced marketing programmes, adapted welfare offerings, and continued fundraising growth.”
“However, awareness remains a key challenge for us. While it is growing, currently only 23 per cent of grocery workers have awareness of the Charity and its services. This needs to change and will be a key focus for us. At the same time, we must also ensure that we understand the changing welfare needs of those working in the industry and continue to adapt our offer to meet these needs.“
“We are very grateful to the industry for all its support and hope that we can continue working together to drive widespread awareness of GroceryAid and its welfare services so that we can help more of our colleagues experiencing tough times.”
To download GroceryAid’s full 2024/2025 impact report please visit: groceryaid.org.uk/our-impact-2024-25
Comments are closed.