Tesco has gained market share in the UK every month since August 2023, with the retailer now holding 27.6% of the British grocery market, new data from Kantar has found.
Tesco reported a 0.6 percentage point increase in share in the 12-week period to 4 August, furthering its lead over the chasing pack – Sainsbury’s reported a share gain of 0.5 percentage points to sit on 15.3%, Asda‘s share was down 1.1 percentage points to 12.6%, and Morrisons down 0.1 percentage points to 8.6%.
Ocado A Strong Performer
In terms of sales performance, the strongest performer in the period was Ocado (1.8% market share), which saw its sales rise 11.3% in the 12-week period.
Ocado is now on a six-month run as the fastest-growing grocer in the UK, Kantar noted.
Lidl, which saw sales up 7.8%, Sainsbury’s, where sales were up 5.2%, and Tesco, which reported a 4.9% sales rise, were other strong performers.
Elsewhere, Waitrose logged its strongest growth since November 2023, with sales up 4.5%. The upmarket grocer now holds 4.5% of the market, a 0.1 percentage point increase.
Grocery Sales
According to Kantar, take-home sales at the UK’s biggest grocery chains rose 3.8% in the four weeks to 4 August, compared with the same period last year. Grocery inflation was up to 1.8%, from 1.6% last month, the first increase since March 2023.
“Having reached its lowest rate in almost three years in July, August saw inflation nudge up again slightly,” commented Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar. “While this is noticeable following 17 straight months of falling rates, it actually marks a return to the average levels seen in the five years before the start of the cost of living crisis.”
