The given bar charts compare three European countries in terms of the percentage of food and other products purchased from supermarkets between 1998 and 2008.
Overall, supermarket sales experienced a marked upward trend in all countries, irrespective of the type of products. It is also evident that while the proportion of both food and goods purchased in supermarkets in Country 2 was the highest in 1998, by 2008 it had been overtaken by Country 1.
Regarding food sales, in 1998, individuals in Country 2, on average, bought approximately 23% of their food from supermarkets, after which this figure increased modestly by 5% over the following decade. A similar trend, though more pronounced, was observed in Country 1, where supermarket food sales surged from 10% to 35%, surpassing Country B. Meanwhile, food purchases in Country 3 remained relatively low, accounting for less than 10% in both years, despite a slight increase.
A comparable pattern emerged in the sale of goods. Country 2 initially led in 1998, with nearly 25% of goods purchased from supermarkets, quintuple the figure for Country 1. However, by 2008, Country 1 saw an eightfold increase, reaching nearly 40%, thus surpassing the more modest rise to around 27% in Country 2. Country 3 consistently registered the lowest proportion of goods bought in supermarkets, with figures increasing from just over 2% to nearly 15%.