Lidl and M&S have retained their crowns as the UK’s fastest-growing supermarkets over the last 12 weeks.
Lidl’s sales grew 13.2%, while M&S jumped 11.6%, according to the last data from NIQ.
The news comes as the NIQ found total till sales at UK supermarkets saw continued growth of 6.6% in January. It said this reflected a 6.1% slowdown in food inflation, which hit its lowest rate since June 2022.
Grocery shopping after Christmas saw a 1.3% bump in volume growth compared to last year, which it said showed shopper behaviour was normalising as inflationary pressures ease.
The company also found a 23% drop in promotional activity from 26% over Christmas, as retailers attempted to lure shoppers in with loyalty card price reductions over the festive season.
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Online grocery shopping saw a 6.8% boost as poor weather kept shoppers at home in January, while in-store shopping only grew 5.3%.
Ocado sales have leaped 11.3% over the past 12 weeks, according to NIQ.
The cost-of-living crisis continued to impact how we eat, with shoppers prioritising simple winter meals to save money and avoid waste, which led to a rise in sales of cheaper food options including chips, frozen fruit and prepared meat products.
NIQ UK head of retailer and business insight Mike Watkins said: “Shopping visits increased again in January and was helped by the return of smaller baskets after the big trolley spends in December.
“In addition, many households were moderating spend as paying off Christmas bills takes priority. To put this in context shoppers spent 24% less on food and drink in January compared to December.”
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