Sainsbury's sales growth year-on-year in Great Britain 2014-2024

Sales performance had been a mixed bag for Sainsbury's until the pandemic hit in spring of 2020. The impact of the change in grocery shopping behaviors as a result of lockdowns was first registered in April 2020, when sales increased by 8.4%. Sales continued to hit new highs and increased by 13.5% in June 2020 compared to the previous year. Since February 2021, growth began to slow as shopping behavior stabilized. However, since inflation pressures have hit, Sainsbury's sales rose again considerably in 2022 and 2023. During the most recent period in May 2024, sales grew by 5.6 percent. 

Sainsbury’s in profile

J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 as a fresh food retailer in London. In its 2023/24 financial year, the company made 32.08 billion British pounds in retail sales. In April of 2019, the company had to abandon a merger with Asda due to a block by the Competition and Markets Authority. The merger would have made the new company the largest on the grocery market.

The grocery market

Sainsbury’s competitors Lidl and Aldi have continuously experienced sales growth over the past years. While traditionally British grocery retailers have struggled to perform in the same way. This resulted in reduced or stagnating market shares for Sainsbury’s and other British companies.