Aldi and Lidl, along with Sainsbury’s and Tesco, emerged as the major victors in the intense Christmas supermarkets’ competition in the UK, according to data from market researcher Kantar. The German discount retailers achieved their highest market shares during the festive period, while the two largest UK grocers, Sainsbury's and Tesco, outperformed Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, and Iceland.
Sainsbury's achieved its highest market share since December 2020 at 15.8%, with a sales increase of 9.3%, while Tesco holds 27.6% of the market and saw sales rise by 7.5%. Both Aldi and Lidl reported strong sales growth during the Christmas period, with Aldi's sales surpassing £1.5 billion for the first time in the four weeks to Christmas Eve.
Lidl claimed its best Christmas since entering the British market in 1994, with sales increasing by 13.8%. The sales of premium ranges, such as Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and Tesco Finest, rose by 11.9% compared to the previous year, accounting for 5.7% of all grocery sales.Kantar's data revealed that overall, supermarkets experienced their busiest Christmas period since before the pandemic.
The total number of shopping trips over the four weeks to December 24 was 488 million, 12 million more than the previous year. The average household spent a record £477 on groceries in December, £28 more than in December 2022, totaling £13.7 billion.