Discounter Lidl overtakes Waitrose

UK: An increase in market share to 5.2% has seen German discount supermarket Lidl overtake Waitrose to become the UK’s seventh largest grocer.

The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending August 13 saw Lidl increase its market share by 0.7 percentage points year on year.

Fellow discounter Aldi grew sales by 17.2%, attracting 1.1 million more shoppers through its doors than this time last year and increasing market share by 0.8 percentage points to stand at 7.0%.

As well as the continued rise of the discounters, there was also good news for the UK’s largest retailers. “All four of Britain’s biggest grocers managed to grow sales for the fifth consecutive period, a run of collective success not seen since 2013,” commented Fraser McKevitt, Kantar Worldpanel’s head of retailer and consumer insight.

“However, this welcome period of sustained growth hasn’t been enough to entirely offset pressure from the discounters: the big four now account for just 69.3% of the UK grocery market – down from 76.3% five years ago – and that looks set to fall further in the coming months.”

Overall sales grew by 3% at Tesco, helped by an increase in volume sales, but market share fell to 27.8% – down 0.3 percentage points compared to last year. Morrisons increased sales by 2.6% – the ninth consecutive period of growth for the Bradford-based supermarket – while market share dropped slightly to stand at 10.4%. Morrisons’ online business is performing particularly well: the retailer continues to increase its share of the online grocery market, attracting more shoppers as it expands its delivery service to new parts of the UK. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s sales rose by 2% as the grocer’s market share fell to 15.8% – down 0.3 percentage points year on year.

Asda also managed to continue its run of positive sales performance with a 1.4% increase during the latest quarter.

Although overtaken by Lidl, Waitrose’s market share held steady at 5.1% as it managed to increase sales by 2.8% year on year.

After more than two years in growth, Co-op’s sales declined by 0.4% as its market share fell to 6.3% – down 0.3 percentage points compared to this time last year. This dip is at least partly attributable to the retailer’s sale of nearly 300 of its stores to convenience chain McColl’s. Meanwhile online specialist Ocado increased sales by 12.6%, now holding 1.4% of the overall grocery market.