// Ocado the fastest-growing grocer according to new market share data from Kantar Worldpanel
// The Big 4 grocers all experienced a dip in sales and market share reduction
// Overall, supermarket sales were flat
Ocado has notched a double-digit rise in grocery sales, making it the fastest-growing UK grocer according to new market share data for the sector.
The latest Kantar Worldpanel figures show that Ocado was the only grocer to have recorded double-digit growth with a 12.6 per cent sales uptick.
However, the online grocer’s market share was still the smallest compared to its bigger rivals, coming in 1.4 per cent.
Lidl was the next fastest-growing grocer, growing by 7.7 per cent to give the discounter a record total market share of 5.9 per cent.
Rival Aldi posted a 6.2 per cent increase in sales, further cementing its ranking as the UK’s fifth biggest grocer in terms of market share.
Meanwhile, all of the Big 4 giants – Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco – saw a dip in sales and a reduction in market share during the period.
Overall, supermarkets failed to beat last year’s bumper summer, with grocery sales flat during the 12 weeks to August 11 compared to the same period last year.
“The memory of last year still looms large for retailers and this summer’s comparatively poor weather, combined with low levels of like-for-like price rises, have made growth hard to find for retailers,” Kantar head of retail insight Fraser McKevitt said.
“July’s hottest day on record wasn’t enough to shift the market into growth, but the grocers will have been encouraged by glimpses of better weather during the past four weeks which helped boost sales of summer staples like hayfever remedies, suncare and burgers by 17 per cent, eight per cent and five per cent respectively.”
Separate market share data from Nielsen indicated that total supermarket sales started to recover, rising one per cent in the last four weeks after a disappointing spring and early summer performance in which sales declined.
However, the latest growth still fails to reach the heights of summer 2018, in which grocery sales experienced a 4.2 per cent year-on-year uplift.
Nielsen’s data also showed that over the last four weeks, Sainsbury’s experienced a 1.3 per cent lift in sales, and was the only supermarket among the Big 4 to attract new shoppers thanks to accelerated efforts around targeted vouchering.
Marks & Spencer also fared well during the last four weeks, experiencing an uplift of 1.4 per cent.
However, these positive figures are in stark contrast to the trend over the last 12 weeks, where discounters continued to show strong sales growth.
Lidl recorded a 12.1 per cent surge in sales, while Aldi’s sales rose by 9.5 per cent.
Nielsen’s data indicated that sales continued to decline at every other major supermarket during that same period, except at Iceland.
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