Supermarkets in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts

The United Kingdom’s grocery landscape has traditionally been dominated by the ‘big four’ supermarket chains: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons. However, there are signs that the landscape is adjusting to the current economic climate. In September 2022, the German discounter Aldi overtook Morrisons for the first time to be the supermarket with the fourth largest market share in the UK.

Together, the current big four represent almost two-thirds of the total grocery retail market. In 2022, the market was estimated to have a value of almost 217 billion British pounds, with supermarkets as the dominant store format. While supermarkets are expected to remain as the leading channel, the online market is projected to become increasingly relevant.

Supermarket sales

Food store sales in the United Kingdom follow a fairly consistent pattern over the course of a year. Typically, sales in food stores and supermarkets peak during the Christmas trading period, see notable increases around Easter, and subside during the summer months. The pandemic also had a notable impact on the pattern of supermarket sales. Looking at Great Britain's leading supermarket chain Tesco, sales improved on a year-on-year basis by between 7.2 to around 15 percent in the months that followed the start of the pandemic. The same was true for other 'big four' chains, such as Asda, or discount supermarkets, such as Lidl. Since pandemic restrictions eased and life returned to normal, so did supermarket sales. However, during the period of high inflation and the resulting increased cost of many food and beverage items, sales began to creep up again in 2022. Tesco's sales growth had again almost reached double digits by mid-2023.

Food shopping and consumers

In 2023, Statista's Consumers Insights Survey revealed that consumers across all generations mostly shop at supermarkets for their groceries. Some 78 percent of Gen Z respondents stated that they regularly bought food and drink products at supermarkets. For more than half of UK consumers, Tesco was the primary supermarket destination. Tesco's popularity with UK consumers was not limited to in-store shopping. Around 37 percent of UK consumers said they ordered groceries from Tesco's online store. In addition to the online stores of traditional supermarket chains, UK consumers chose online grocery stores like Ocado or grocery delivery companies such as Amazon Fresh and Beelivery for their grocery orders.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Emma Bedford, Nov 7, 2023

Key insights

Grocery retail market value
211.9bn GBP
Value of retail sales in predominantly food stores
166bn GBP
Percentage change in value of sales in predominantly food stores
3.4%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Market value of grocery retail in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2004 to 2027 (in billion GBP)

Food & Beverage

Grocery market value in the United Kingdom (UK) 2004-2027

Market share of grocery stores in Great Britain from January 2017 to October 2023

Supermarkets

Grocery market share in Great Britain 2017-2023

Average cost of a shopping basket in the United Kingdom (UK) as of October 2023, by supermarket (in British pounds)

Supermarkets

Average cost of a shopping basket in the United Kingdom (UK) 2023, by supermarket

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Regional comparison

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Shopping behavior

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Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Tesco Group in the United Kingdom (UK)
Tesco Group in the United Kingdom (UK)
Sainsbury group in the United Kingdom (UK)
Sainsbury group in the United Kingdom (UK)
The Co-operative Group Ltd in the United Kingdom (UK)
The Co-operative Group Ltd in the United Kingdom (UK)
Online grocery shopping in the United Kingdom (UK)
Online grocery shopping in the United Kingdom (UK)

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