During the 12 weeks ending on November 1, 2024, Lidl’s sales grew by 7.4 percent in the UK. The highest growth recorded by the German discounter was in March 2023, when sales grew by almost 26 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Lidl and the Schwarz GroupLidl is a subsidiary of the German Schwarz Group. The discounter is the biggest contributor to the revenue of the family owned Schwarz Group. Lidl is deliberately not named after the Schwarz family. The goal was probably to avoid any relation to the term black market (Schwarzmarkt in German). Lidl was founded in 1973 and opened its first store in the UK in 1994. The company on the UK marketIt is not only sales but also revenues that have seen an increase over the past years in the UK. By 2023, Lidl surpassed a sales income of over 9.3 billion British pounds on the British market. Lidl is the 6th largest supermarket operating in the grocery market in the UK, with a market share of 7.7 percent as of November 2024. Aldi recently took over fourth place from Morrisons.

The market share of the leading supermarkets in Great Britain (GB) from January 2017 to November 2024 has remained fairly stable. Tesco and Sainsbury's had the largest share over the period under consideration, holding 43.4 percent of the market together as of November 2024. Prior to the popularity of the discounters, the grocery retail market was dominated by the 'big four' supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Morrisons. On the back of the post-Brexit uncertainty and growing inflation, consumer behavior has shifted in favor of cheaper alternatives such as Aldi and Lidl. In September 2022, Aldi took over fourth place in the grocery store ranking from Morrisons for the first time. In April 2023, Aldi's market share reached double digits for the first time. In November 2024, this figure stood at 10.4 percent.

This statistic represents the total market shares of top grocery retailers in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016. Total market shares include offline and online shares. The leading company in groceries retail is Tesco with 28.1 percent of the market share. The second place is held by Sainsbury's with 15.9 percent, which is closely followed by Asda with 15.7 percent. Chains like Aldi and Lidl which do not sell online, have less than 10 percent of the market share.

This statistic displays the distribution of the grocery market among leading grocery retailers in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2015. Tesco held the largest share at 25 percent in 2011, dropping by six percentage points to a 19 percent share of the grocery retail market by 2015. Prior to the popularity of the discounters, the grocery retail market was dominated by the 'big four' supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons. On the back of the economic recession and growing inflation, however, consumer behavior has shifted in favor of cheaper alternatives and discount supermarkets. The resulting 'price wars' has led to supermarkets lowering their prices and the highest share of food volume sales on promotion in Europe. Crucially, this has caused increased volatility in the grocery retail market and, as of 2017, Aldi overtook the Co-operative to become the fifth largest supermarket in the UK according to data from Kantar Worldpanel.

This statistic depicts Aldi and Lidl's share of the grocery market in Great Britain in the 12-week period ending January 04, 2015. In this period Aldi and Lidl had a combined share of 8.3 percent of the British grocery market.

BackgroundIn response to public concerns and campaigns, some United Kingdom supermarkets have implemented policies to reduce less-healthy food at checkouts. We explored the effects of these policies on purchases of less-healthy foods commonly displayed at checkouts.Methods and findingsWe used a natural experimental design and two data sources providing complementary and unique information. We analysed data on purchases of small packages of common, less-healthy, checkout foods (sugary confectionary, chocolate, and potato crisps) from 2013 to 2017 from nine UK supermarkets (Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose). Six supermarkets implemented a checkout food policy between 2013 and 2017 and were considered intervention stores; the remainder were comparators.Firstly, we studied the longitudinal association between implementation of checkout policies and purchases taken home. We used data from a large (n ≈ 30,000) household purchase panel of food brought home to conduct controlled interrupted time series analyses of purchases of less-healthy common checkout foods from 12 months before to 12 months after implementation. We conducted separate analyses for each intervention supermarket, using others as comparators. We synthesised results across supermarkets using random effects meta-analyses. Implementation of a checkout food policy was associated with an immediate reduction in four-weekly purchases of common checkout foods of 157,000 (72,700–242,800) packages per percentage market share—equivalent to a 17.3% reduction. This decrease was sustained at 1 year with 185,100 (121,700–248,500) fewer packages purchased per 4 weeks per percentage market share—equivalent to a 15.5% reduction. The immediate, but not sustained, effect was robust to sensitivity analysis.Secondly, we studied the cross-sectional association between checkout food policies and purchases eaten without being taken home. We used data from a smaller (n ≈ 7,500) individual purchase panel of food bought and eaten ‘on the go’. We conducted cross-sectional analyses comparing purchases of common checkout foods in 2016–2017 from supermarkets with and without checkout food policies. There were 76.4% (95% confidence interval 48.6%–89.1%) fewer annual purchases of less-healthy common checkout foods from supermarkets with versus without checkout food policies.The main limitations of the study are that we do not know where in the store purchases were selected and cannot determine the effect of changes in purchases on consumption. Other interventions may also have been responsible for the results seen.ConclusionsThere is a potential impact of checkout food polices on purchases. Voluntary supermarket-led activities may have public health benefits.

Shell had the highest annual revenue of all companies based in the United Kingdom in 2024, at approximately 289.7 billion U.S. dollars. BP had the second-highest annual revenue at 202.8 billion dollars, followed by HSBC Holdings, which had a revenue of 144.9 billion U.S. dollars. In terms of global employee numbers, however, Compass Group had the highest number among UK-based businesses, at approximately half a million in 2024, followed by Tesco at 345,000 and HSBC at almost 214,000. Big Oil, a banking giant, and Britain's top supermarket chain The two companies listed as having the most revenue in the UK this year also two of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world, alongside Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies. After a huge surge in energy prices in 2022, these companies saw their profits recede slightly in 2023, but clearly remain in strong financial positions. HSBC Holdings, meanwhile, was the largest bank in Europe in terms of market capitalization, and was estimated to have the third-highest number of UK-based customers in 2023. The company with the fourth-highest revenue in this year, Tesco has by some distance the largest grocery-market share in Great Britain, a position it has maintained despite growing competition from discounters like Lidl and Aldi. UK economy health check In the first two quarters of 2024, the UK economy grew by 0.7 percent, and 0.6 percent, emerging from a brief recession at the end of 2023. Consumer Price inflation, which reached a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022, fell below two percent in September 2024, for the first time since April 2021, potentially leading to further interest rate cuts. Despite these generally positive signs, business confidence in the UK in September 2024 was lower than at any point since early 2021. Company insolvencies in England and Wales have also reached levels not seen since the global financial crisis in the late 2000s. This generally mixed picture will be influenced by the next government budget set for the end of October 2024, which may see certain taxes increase due to the UK's tricky fiscal situation.

In the United Kingdom, Aldi, M&S Food, and Lidl were the most popular three supermarket chains in Q4 2024. All three topped the ranking with 78 percent of respondents having a positive opinion of the food retailer. Sainsbury's and Tesco came in second and third places and were popular with 74 percent and 72 percent of those polled in this study, respectively. UK grocery market The entire UK grocery market was worth almost 212 billion British pounds in 2021. Market leader Tesco operated over 4,100 stores in 2023. In comparison, mixed retailer M&S operated slightly over 1,050 stores in the UK. Marks & Spencer as a grocery retailer M&S is a mixed retailer and sometimes not even included in statistics about the UK grocery market. When viewed as a grocery store, the company had a market share of slightly over three percent as of August 2021. Compared other grocery and food retailers, M&S is only a minor player on the market. Since the first of September 2020, M&S grocery products can be ordered via the online grocery store Ocado.

What is the revenue of Lidl in the UK? In the financial year ending on the 29th of February 2024, Lidl Great Britain Limited made a revenue of over 10 billion British pounds. The company’s revenue has increased significantly since 2020 when it stood at around 6.88 billion British pounds. This value is due to the reorganization undertaken by the group and the major changes in business strategy in Great Britain. Lidl in detail Founded in 1973 in the German town of Neckarsulm, the German discounter’s GB operations turned a profit of 9.8 million pounds before taxes in 2021. Its workforce has grown continuously since the 2011/2012 financial year and crossed the threshold of 25,000 employees in 2021. The company’s entry into the UK market has been a roaring success. Supported by its well-received marketing campaign How Lidl Grew A Lot between 2014 and 2017 the company and its fellow discounter Aldi are shaking up the grocery market. Lidl on the UK grocery market With solid double-digit growth numbers through most of 2022, 2023, and 2024, of which a lot of traditional English grocers can only dream of, the company conquered the market and now is the sixth largest grocer having overtaken The Cooperative.

In 2021, the German based Schwarz Group was the leading food and beverage retailer from Europe and generated approximately 153.75 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The second largest retailer was also Germany-based. Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Ko. oHG ranked second with about 121 billion dollars in revenue. It is important to note that numbers for Carrefour S.A. was not included in the ranking on the request of the company.

The German discounters

Aldi and Lidl are currently the most important players on the European market. The Schwarz Gruppe operates the discounter Lidl and the retailer Kaufland. However, on the German market the discounter is by far the more important part of the company’s portfolio. Lidl also made a notable entry on the market in the United Kingdom. While Schwarz and Aldi may be the biggest retail companies in Europe, at home in Germany, they only rank 3rd and 4th respectively.

The UK market

The U.K. market leader Tesco generated 81.35 billion British pounds in revenue overall in 2019. At home in the UK the company generated some 52.9 billion British pounds in the 2019/2020 financial year. However, the company witnessed a decline of its market share for multiple years in a row, while the share of the German discounters grew. Lidl and Aldi have seen a sizable sales growth in the same period. In Aldi’s case, the German discounter has often seen sales growth into the double digits.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom has caused an increase in consumer spending in grocery stores across the country. Compared to the same period in the previous year sales in the 12 week period ending on the 22nd of March have increased by double digits for Aldi, Iceland, Ocado and Lidl. With Lidl showing the biggest growth in sales with 17.6 percent. Morrisons showed the smallest growth in sales with 4.6 percent. Of the big four supermarkets (Asda, Sainsbury's, Teso and Morrisons), Sainsbury's saw the biggest increase in sales numbers.

This figure shows the ice cream market share of retailers in the United Kingdom (UK) for the 52 weeks to November 8, 2015. Aldi held 4.5 percent of the market share, it followed Lidl which held 4.7 percent. Leading the market was Tesco with a 27.1 percent share.

How high is the brand awareness of Lidl in the UK?When it comes to grocery store customers, brand awareness of Lidl is at 95% in the UK. The survey was conducted using the concept of aided brand recognition, showing respondents both the brand's logo and the written brand name.How popular is Lidl in the UK?In total, 44% of UK grocery store customers say they like Lidl.What is the usage share of Lidl in the UK?All in all, 43% of grocery store customers in the UK use Lidl.How loyal are the customers of Lidl?Around 36% of grocery store customers in the UK say they are likely to use Lidl again. d.What's the buzz around Lidl in the UK?In June 2024, about 21% of UK grocery store customers had heard about Lidl in the media, on social media, or in advertising over the past three months, meaning at the time of the survey there was some buzz around Lidl in the UK.

This statistic shows the retailer market share of the cake category in the United Kingdom (UK) for the 52 weeks ending 17th July 2016. Tesco took the largest share of the cake retail market at 23.3 percent, followed by Sainsbury's with 14.9 percent. German retailers Aldi and Lidl had a 4.4 and 4.1 percentage share of the market, respectively.

This statistic depicts the market share of cheese products in leading European grocery stores in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013. Of the leading five grocery stores in Europe- Lidl, Fromageries Bel, Arla Foods, Tesco and Aldi, Tesco had the largest market share in cheese products in the UK with 13.7 percent.

Between 2015 and 2017, the major supermarket chain Tesco’s was the first choice in terms of consumer spending. For the 12-week period ending March 26th, 2017, total consumer expenditure in its stores amounted to approximately 7.1 billion British pounds. Over the period in consideration, Sainsbury’s and Asda ranked second and third respectively, while the difference in their consumer expenditure was relatively minor.

Big four

Great Britain’s ‘big four’ include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons. In the 12-week period running up to August 12th, 2018, the combined market share of Britain’s top four supermarkets stood at nearly 70 percent. Rising inflation rates and resulting food price increases have likely led to consumers looking for cheaper alternatives. As a result, discount supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, and The Cooperative have been continuously gaining a larger market share in the United Kingdom.

Online grocery shopping

Despite physical stores making up the largest share on the grocery shopping market in the United Kingdom, weekly online sales in food stores have more than doubled between 2010 and 2017. As of the third quarter of 2017, online grocery sales amounted to approximately 161.3 million British pounds.

In 2023, Lidl generated a revenue of roughly 33.45 billion euros in Germany. Figures increased annually during the timeline shown. Schwarz Gruppe in Germany Lidl is part of the German Schwarz Gruppe, which generated around 56.6 billion euros in revenue in 2023, of which the majority was generated by Lidl (about 33.45 billion euros). The Schwarz Gruppe, based in Neckarsulm Germany, is one of the largest retail groups in Germany. A notable retail chain that is owned by Schwarz, besides Lidl itself, is the hypermarket chain Kaufland. Lidl in the UK In Great Britain Lidl held an eight percent share of the strongly fought over market in April 2024. In 2023, the company generated a turnover of around 9.3 billion British pounds in the UK market. As of October 2023, Lidl sales grew by around 15 percent, though monthly figures fluctuated that year.

In its 2023/24 financial year, Tesco’s annual revenue amounted to more than 62.8 billion British pounds in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This was an increase of over 2.6 billion pounds compared to the prior financial year. The company’s profit in the UK and the ROI increased and came to 2,689 million in 2023/24. Tesco in profile Tesco PLC was the leading grocer on the UK market as of April 2024 and has been since the start of the millennium. The company, which originated in Hertfordshire, employed almost 337,600 people worldwide in 2023. Founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen, the company generates most of its revenue on the UK market and operated in other European and Asian countries, before selling the Asian business in 2020. Developments in the grocery market As of April 2024, Tesco's market share of the grocery market in Great Britain amounted to 27.4 percent. Tesco's market share has remained relatively stable over the survey period, fluctuating between 26 and 28 percent. The other companies from the so called ‘big four’, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have seen a decline of their market shares. Winners on the market were the German discounters Lidl and Aldi. Aldi recently took over fourth place in the grocery store ranking from Morissons for the first time.

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 December 2024, sales grew by 4.7 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.

In the 12 weeks leading up to March 17, 2024, sales at Asda increased by 0.2 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. Between the 9th of November 2014 and the 26th of March 2017, Asda’s sales on the British market shrank. After that period its sales started to grow again even surpassing a growth rate of 2.5 percent four times till March 2019. However, in the second half of 2019 and early 2020, Asda saw a devastating decline in sales. Sales picked up in April 2020, likely due to the impact of the pandemic on food shopping behavior. Since then, sales have continued to grow at similar levels due to the impacts of inflation. Competition by German discountersThe two discounters Aldi and Lidl had a higher sales growth in Britain than Asda during the entire period covered here. However, not only was the sales growth of both discounters higher than that of Asda but during the entire time frame it was higher than Asda’s peak growth of 11 percent in the twelve weeks leading up to July 12, 2020. Other big grocersWhile the two German discounters had a significant sales growth on the British market, other competitors, such as Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s, struggled with their sales growth as much or more than Asda.