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Britain’s biggest supermarkets gained ground in the latest 12-week period as grocery price inflation eased and festive promotions boosted spending, according to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator on Tuesday. UK grocery sales rose 4.0% year-on-year to £35.26 billion in the 12 weeks to November 2, while take-home sales across the four weeks to the same date grew 3.2%. Grocery price inflation slowed to 4.7%, down from 5.3% in September, as retailers rolled out discounts and Christmas deals. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail & consumer insight at Worldpanel, said supermarkets were focusing on affordability as households continued to feel the squeeze. ‘Retailers are very alive to the financial struggles that some households are facing, not least ahead of this year’s Budget,’ he said. ‘They’re eager to show how they’re offering shoppers value for money, putting the emphasis on price cuts rather than multibuy offers.’ Promotional spending rose 9.4% year-on-year in October, compared with a 1.8% increase on full-priced items, with almost 30% of consumer spending at the grocers now taking place on discounted goods. Tesco PLC strengthened its lead, with sales up 5.9% in the 12 weeks to November 2 and market share increasing to 28.2% from 27.7% a year earlier. Sainsbury’s PLC also gained share, up to 15.7% from 15.5%, after sales grew 5.2%. Online grocer Ocado Group PLC posted the strongest growth, with sales up 15.9% year-on-year and market share rising to 2.1% from 1.9%. It marked Ocado’s fastest rate of growth since April 2021 and the third consecutive month as the UK’s fastest-growing grocer. Discount chain Lidl also extended its market share, up to 8.2% from 7.7%, as sales jumped 10.8%. Fellow discounter Aldi grew sales by 4.4%, maintaining a 10.6% market share. Asda saw the steepest decline among the major grocers, with sales down 3.9% over the period and its market share falling to 11.6% from 12.6%. Morrisons reported a 2.3% increase in sales, holding an 8.3% share of the market. Waitrose & Partners’ sales rose 3.8%, though its market share edged down to 4.4% from 4.5%. Iceland Foods increased sales by 4.9% and lifted its share slightly to 2.3%. The Co-operative Group saw sales fall 1.4%, taking its share to 5.4% from 5.7%. Across the wider high street, food and grocery sales at Marks & Spencer Group PLC grew 8.8% year-on-year, the fastest pace since June. Black Friday is also expected to give a boost to grocery and general merchandise sales later this month. Last year, retailers saw an average sales uplift of 114% during the week, led by spikes in electronics, beauty and toys. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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