Latest figures from Worldpanel by Numerator show take-home sales at UK grocers grew by 4.8% over the four weeks to 7 September versus last year, with like-for-like grocery price inflation nudging down from 5.0% to 4.9%.
“Prices might not be climbing quite as quickly, but they’re still on the rise and the battle between own-label lines and brands continues as household finances remain tight,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel.
Supermarket own lines now make up 51.2% of all sales, up from 50.9% a year ago. Sales of these products grew by 5.9% during this period, just ahead of brands at 5.3%. However, premium own-label goods remained the real standout performers, with sales increasing by 10.3% – making it six months in a row that they’ve risen by double digits.
McKevitt noted that brands are holding ground in some categories, including toothbrushes, frozen chicken and baby toiletries, showing that “consumers still value well-known names across some very different parts of the store.”
Autumn signalled a return to work and school for many households, impacting what people bought at the supermarket. In the two weeks to 7 September, sales of lunchbox staples shot up among families with children compared to the previous fortnight. Spending on yogurt rose by 26%, sliced cooked meats by 17% and cheddar cheese by 24%. McKevitt highlighted that while sandwiches remain a popular lunch option, featuring in over half of kids’ lunchboxes, they are disappearing from some school bags as alternatives like cooked poultry become more popular.
Looking at individual retailers, Tesco gained more market share than any other grocer in the 12 weeks to 7 September, now accounting for 28.4% of all sales, up 0.8 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The UK’s largest grocer saw growth across all channels, with spending up 7.7% – its highest rate since December 2023.
Ocado was once again the fastest-growing retailer, with sales rising by 11.9%. It outpaced the wider online market, which was up by 8.2% over the 12 weeks.
Spending through the tills at Sainsbury’s increased by 5.4%, taking its portion of the market up to 15.1%. Asda continued to lose share after recording a 2.7% drop in sales, while Morrisons recorded growth of just 1.4%.
Lidl was the fastest-growing bricks & mortar retailer, with sales up 11.0%, increasing its share from 7.8% to 8.2%. Aldi held its 10.7% share with a sales uplift of 4.7%.
Spending at Waitrose grew 4.3%, while sales of groceries at M&S increased 5.9%.
