The market share of the leading supermarkets in Great Britain (GB) has begun to shift from the traditional market leaders to discounters in recent years. However, Tesco and Sainsbury's have continually had the largest share over the period under consideration, holding **** percent of the market together as of July 2025. 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 July 2025, this figure stood at **** percent.

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 ****. Sales continued to hit new highs and increased by ***** 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 July 2025, sales grew by *** percent. Sainsbury’s in profile J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 as a fresh food retailer in London. In its 2024/25 financial year, the company made **** 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 2023, is was forecast that the grocery market in the United Kingdom would grow by around 6.1 percent. Growth hit an all-time high in 2020 at over eight percent and is forecast to decrease to 2.3 percent by 2026.

Market shares of grocery stores

As of August 2023, the four most important players on the grocery market were Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Aldi. The market leader Tesco had a share of over a quarter of the market. Fifth-placed Morrisons was around 1.5 percent away from retaking fourth place from Aldi.

Sales channels

The most relevant grocery sales channels measured by generated monetary value are supermarkets and convenience stores. Discounters, a smaller channel in comparison, still surpassed online sales.

The Supermarkets industry has undergone something of a shift over the past decade – discounters Aldi and Lidl have penetrated the customer base of the traditional “Big Four” supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons), with their low prices and improving quality of products resonating with price-conscious shoppers. Over the five years through 2024-25, supermarkets' revenue is forecast to dip at a compound annual rate of 1.1% to £192.1 billion, though it's expected to inch up by 0.6% in 2024-25. Grocery price inflation has eased in 2024-25, with this stabilisation supporting consumer confidence, which has sparked greater sales volumes across major supermarket chains. Over the five years through 2024-25, the cost-of-living crisis has constrained households’ budgets, with shoppers spending less on non-essentials, shopping around more and turning to discount supermarkets. The landscape for UK supermarkets has been characterised by intense competition and emerging consumer trends. Discount retailers like Lidl and Aldi have aggressively expanded their market presence by capitalising on streamlined supply chains and low operational costs, enticing budget-conscious shoppers. Their success has prompted traditional supermarkets to embark on price wars and promotional strategies like Aldi price matches, illustrating the sector's dynamic nature. Concurrently, loyalty programmes have proven instrumental in bolstering supermarkets' profitability. Tesco, for instance, reported exponential growth in its Clubcard membership, thereby solidifying its market share. Looking forward, consumer preferences for quick and convenient shopping will threaten the traditional weekly shop. Convenience stores are likely to benefit from the little, local and often trend, stealing sales away from supermarkets. Sustainability is a growing concern for both shoppers and supermarkets. As disposable incomes recover, shoppers will emphasise sustainably produced, sourced and packaged products. Supermarkets will invest heavily in decarbonising their operations by purchasing electric fleets. However, additional costs caused by hikes to employers’ National Insurance contribution outlined in the 2024 Autumn Budget will force supermarkets to pass on additional costs to consumers, threatening their price competitiveness. Over the five years through 2029-30, supermarkets' revenue is forecast to swell at a compound annual rate of 2.1% to £213.4 billion.

In the financial year ending March first in 2025, Sainsbury's recorded a profit of *** million British pounds before tax and *** million British pounds after tax. This marked a significant improvement from 2020/21, when the company experienced a loss. Sainsbury‘s in profileSainsbury's attributed the loss experienced in the 2020/21 financial period to various costs and impairments associated with the company's future operations. The company also experienced a slowdown in the growth of store numbers. Over the part years, however, Sainsbury’s has seen growth in retail sales. Competitors on the marketTesco’s store numbers have also stagnated in the past years. UK grocers face mounting pressure from the German discounters Lidl and Aldi, which are expanding their share of the market. The companies are part of the two European market leaders in retail by turnover, Schwarz Gruppe and the Aldi brand.

The European gluten-free food and beverage market, valued at €3.62 billion in 2025, is experiencing robust growth, projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.33% from 2025 to 2033. This surge is driven by several key factors. Rising prevalence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance across Europe fuels demand for specialized products. Increased consumer awareness of the health benefits associated with gluten-free diets, including improved digestion and reduced inflammation, further propels market expansion. The growing availability of diverse and palatable gluten-free options, mimicking the taste and texture of traditional counterparts, is also a significant driver. Furthermore, the increasing adoption of online retail channels and the expansion of specialty stores catering to dietary restrictions enhance market accessibility and contribute to growth. Leading market players, including Amy's Kitchen, Bob's Red Mill, and Conagra Brands, are actively investing in research and development to innovate within this space, offering a wider range of product choices and formats. The market is segmented by product type (bakery, meat alternatives, dairy alternatives, sauces, frozen desserts, beverages, etc.) and distribution channels (online, specialty stores, supermarkets). Strong growth is anticipated across all segments, particularly in bakery products and meat alternatives, reflecting rising consumer demand for convenient and satisfying gluten-free options. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France represent the largest national markets within Europe, owing to their substantial populations and high levels of awareness concerning gluten-related health issues. The forecast period (2025-2033) anticipates continued market expansion, fueled by sustained consumer demand and ongoing innovation. However, challenges remain. Pricing often presents a barrier to wider adoption, as gluten-free products are typically more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Furthermore, maintaining the quality, taste, and texture comparable to traditional products poses an ongoing challenge for manufacturers. Nevertheless, the positive trajectory of the market, fueled by strong consumer demand and ongoing product development, positions the European gluten-free food and beverage market for significant future expansion. The increasing prevalence of related health conditions and the growing emphasis on health and wellness in Europe are expected to continue to be key drivers for the long-term success of this market. Recent developments include: April 2024: Warburton launched ‘Gluten-Free Pittas,’ which are available in four packs at Sainsbury’s and Tesco., December 2023: Tirlán launched its new Oat-Standing Gluten-Free Oat Flour 710. This flour helps manufacturers achieve a clean, oaty flavor with the natural goodness of wholegrain oats while providing a price advantage compared with other flours., May 2023: Crosta & Mollica launched its gluten-free pizza. The dough is made from gluten-free wheat flour and has an open crumb structure for gratifying crunch.. Key drivers for this market are: Gluten-Free Bakery Product is Gaining Traction, Consumer Inclination Towards Healthy Easting Habits. Potential restraints include: Gluten-Free Bakery Product is Gaining Traction, Consumer Inclination Towards Healthy Easting Habits. Notable trends are: Demand For Gluten-Free Dairy Products is Increasing.

Ocado Group reported more than 2.8 billion British pounds in revenues for the 53 weeks ending December 3, 2023. The online supermarket had less than 600 million British pounds in revenues in 2011. However, revenue streams steadily increased over the years and surpassed the two-billion-pounds threshold during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Online grocery pioneer When Ocado was founded in Hatfield, England in 2000, very few people were thinking about ordering their groceries on the internet. Fast forward to 2022 and more than 60 percent of UK shoppers report doing at least part of their grocery shopping online. That year, Ocado had approximately 940,000 active customers, up from 680,000 only two years prior. Online supermarkets in the UK In the grocery retail landscape in the UK, Ocado competes with big supermarket chains like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda. As of April 2023, Ocado ranked fourth among the most popular grocery websites in the UK based on visit share. That month, tesco.com had the highest web traffic among selected online supermarkets at nearly 30 million visits. In comparison, ocado.com had approximately 6.5 million monthly visitors.

In 2021, the size of the UK grocery market stood at around *** billion British pounds. The market has been steadily growing since 2004 and is estimated to reach over *** billion British pounds by 2027. Grocery retail channels It was estimated that in 2027, supermarkets will be the largest sales channel for grocery retail with a value of almost ** billion pounds. Online channels are expected to amount to **** billion pounds. UK grocery market The five leading companies on the grocery market are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi. It was only the German discounter Aldi that saw rapid growth and has proven to be a significant disruptive force on the market. On average, households in the UK spent **** British pounds on food and non-alcoholic drinks per week in 2020.

In the United Kingdom, Sainsbury's, M&S Food, and Aldi were the most popular three supermarket chains in Q1 2025. Sainsbury's topped the ranking with 84 percent of respondents having a positive opinion of the food retailer. M&S Food and Aldi came in second and third places and were popular with 81 percent and 78 percent of those polled in this study, respectively. UK grocery market The entire UK grocery market was worth almost 227 billion British pounds in 2024, according to estimates. Market leader Tesco operated over 4,300 stores as of May 2025. In comparison, mixed retailer M&S operated close to 1,100 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 to 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.

Tesco.com topped the ranking of online grocery stores in the United Kingdom, generating an estimated 4.58 billion U.S. dollars in e-commerce net sales in 2024. Sainsburys.co.uk ranked second, with 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in online grocery sales. Online grocery market in the UK After skyrocketing into double-digit figures during the pandemic, the online share of food sales in the United Kingdom has stabilized post-pandemic. As of December 2024, approximately nine percent of all food retail sales were made online. Compared to the pandemic peak of 12 percent in January 2021, demand for online grocery in the UK has not waned and remained robust despite the return of in-store shopping. Online grocery shoppers In March 2024, a fifth of the UK population was purchasing food and drink online, a figure eight percentage points lower than the e-commerce penetration rate achieved at the height of the pandemic in March 2021. However, current penetration rates in the food and beverage e-commerce market are markedly higher than pre-pandemic. UK online shoppers were the most frequent buyers of fresh food and beverages online among their European counterparts in 2022.

Founded in 1997 as a joint venture between J Sainsbury's plc and Bank of Scotland, Sainsbury's Bank is now wholly owned by the supermarket giant. The retail bank offers customers services ranging from savings, loans and credit cards to mortgages, insurance and ATMs. As of February 2023, the bank had *** million customers, slightly higher than in the previous year.

How high is the brand awareness of Sainsbury's in the UK?When it comes to online grocery delivery users, brand awareness of Sainsbury's is at ** percent 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 Sainsbury's in the UK?In total, ** percent of UK online grocery delivery users say they like Sainsbury's. However, in actuality, among the ** percent of UK respondents who know Sainsbury's, ** percent of people like the brand.What is the usage share of Sainsbury's in the UK?All in all, ** percent of online grocery delivery users in the UK use Sainsbury's. That means, of the ** percent who know the brand, ** percent use them.How loyal are the customers of Sainsbury's?Around ** percent of online grocery delivery users in the UK say they are likely to use Sainsbury's again. Set in relation to the ** percent usage share of the brand, this means that ** percent of their customers show loyalty to the brand.What's the buzz around Sainsbury's in the UK?In November 2023, about ** percent of UK online grocery delivery users had heard about Sainsbury's in the media, on social media, or in advertising over the past four weeks. Of the ** percent who know the brand, that's ** percent, meaning at the time of the survey there's some buzz around Sainsbury's in the UK.If you want to compare brands, do deep-dives by survey items of your choice, filter by total online population or users of a certain brand, or drill down on your very own hand-tailored target groups, our Consumer Insights Brand KPI survey has you covered.

In the 12 weeks ending on July 13, 2025, Tesco's sales grew by 7.1 percent, the highest figure since December 2023. Tesco experienced peak sales growth throughout the pandemic. In the 12 weeks ending in July 2020, sales grew by just over ** percent when compared to the same period in the previous year. Throughout 2020 and 2021, this growth dipped, even reaching a loss of *** percent in November 2021. During the second half of 2022 and 2023, growth picked up again. This coincided with periods of high inflation felt around the world. A market leader under attackTesco’s is the biggest of the so-called big four, a group of supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons that dominate the UK market. However, in September 2022, Aldi overtook Morrisons as the fourth largest supermarket in the UK; Tesco's position as market leader is currently under attack. In April of 2019, a merger, which would have cost the company the number one spot on the British grocery market, of Sainsbury’s and Asda failed. Tesco in numbersTesco operates just over ***** stores in the UK. The company made a revenue of roughly ***** billion British pounds in the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2023/24, approximately ** times the revenue that the company makes in Central Europe.

In its 2024/25 financial year, Tesco’s annual revenue amounted to more than **** billion British pounds in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This was an increase of over **** billion pounds compared to the prior financial year. The company’s profit in the UK and the ROI increased and came to 2.74 billion in 2024/25. Tesco in profile Tesco PLC was the leading grocer on the UK market as of March 2025 and has been since the start of the millennium. The company, which originated in Hertfordshire, employed over 341,000 people worldwide in 2025. 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 March 2025, Tesco's market share of the grocery market in Great Britain amounted to **** percent. Tesco's market share has remained relatively stable over the survey period, fluctuating between ** and ** 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 ****** place in the grocery store ranking from Morrisons for the first time.

The United Kingdom’s leading retailers were supermarket chains, with Tesco ranking at the very top based on its annual sales of approximately **** billion British pounds for 2022/2023. Together with Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons, this quartet is often referred as “Big Four” in the UK grocery retail market. When combined, Big Four sales constitute over ** percent of the grocery market in the UK. Department stores still relevant Despite concerns around decreasing consumer interest, department stores such as Marks and Spencer continues to be the UK’s most successful retailers. The company, which generated over **** billion British pounds in the year 2020/2021 is a hybrid business of grocery and clothing/general retail. That said, Marks and Spencer's food segment currently delivers more revenue compared with the brand’s other retail operations. Amazon in the UK retail scene As displayed in the present statistic, in addition to UK’s homegrown retail companies, online players like Amazon are imprinting their influence on the landscape as well. Over the years, the global online retail company’s UK sales rose exponentially, reaching about ** billion U.S. dollars as of December 2022.

In 2025, the number of Tesco’s stores operating worldwide amounted to 5,040, excluding franchise stores. The multinational-operating grocery and general merchandise retailer Tesco PLC was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen (1898-1979). The product portfolio includes food and beverages, clothing, home appliances, and even financial services. Tesco is the leading supermarket brand in the United Kingdom (UK), consistently ranking highest in terms of grocery market share. The company is headquartered in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, and employs roughly 341,000 people worldwide. Tesco stores in the UK A little more than 4,300 of the total stores are situated in the UK, where Tesco provides six different store formats to their customers, which varied in size and range of products. Tesco Superstores, for example, are standard large supermarkets that sell mostly food products and a much smaller range of non-food products in comparison to Extra stores. The UK grocery market Most of Tesco’s annual revenue was generated from its key market: The United Kingdom. Additionally, the company sold products in stores located in other European and Asian countries. Based on market share, Tesco’s largest rivals in the grocery store business included Asda and Sainsbury’s. Business figures showed that discount stores were gaining more and more market share as customer spending moved from traditional retailers to discounters, such as Lidl or Aldi.

In 2024/25, Tesco plc generated sales of over ** billion British pounds in the UK and Republic of Ireland. The company’s revenues amounted to ***** billion pounds in the same period. Tesco PLC in profile Tesco PLC is a multinational-operating grocery and general merchandise retailer. The company was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. The product portfolio includes food and beverages, clothing, home appliances, and financial services. Tesco is the leading supermarket brand in the United Kingdom, and the company has been leading in terms of grocery market share for years. The company is headquartered in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, and employs roughly ******* people in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Tesco operates over ***** stores in the UK and the RoI. The majority of Tesco’s annual revenue is generated from sales in its key market: the United Kingdom. Tesco in the UK market Based on market share, Tesco’s largest competitors are Sainsbury’s and Asda. However, in recent years, Aldi and Lidl have had a larger impact on the UK grocery market than any other supermarket chain. The discounters are the only companies that managed to expand their market shares notably in the past 5 years.