Lidl and Ocado tied for top spot as fastest growing grocers, says Worldpanel

Grocery price inflation has also nudged down slightly to 5.0 per cent, while take-home sales at the grocers grew by 4.0 per cent over the four weeks to 10 August versus last year, according to Worldpanel.

The rate of grocery price inflation was 5.2 per cent in July. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, commented: “We’ve seen a marginal drop in grocery price inflation this month, but we’re still well past the point at which price rises really start to bite and consumers are continuing to adapt their behaviour to make ends meet.

"What people pay for their supermarket shopping often impacts on their spending across other parts of the high street too, including their eating and drinking habits out of the home.

"Casual and fast service restaurants especially have seen a decline in visitors over the summer, with trips falling by 6 per cent during the three months to mid-July 2025, compared with last year.

"The outliers in this are coffee shops which have bucked the trend.”

While people are making savings outside of the home, they are still seeking treats in store, according to Worldpanel.

Sales of branded grocery items grew by 6.1 per cent this month, putting them ahead of own-label alternatives which were up by 4.1 per cent, the largest gap in favour of brands since March 2024.

Worldpanel said: “Branded sales make up 46.4 per cent of all grocery spending but are particularly dominant in personal care, confectionery, hot drinks and soft drinks where they account for more than 75 per cent of money through the tills.

"While a far smaller part of the market, premium own-label is also continuing to do well and sales rose by 11.5 per cent this period.”

Lidl and Ocado were tied for top spot as the fastest growing grocers over the 12 weeks to 10 August 2025, with sales at both retailers up by 10.7 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Lidl’s share of the market increased by 0.5 percentage points to 8.3 per cent, while Ocado now holds 1.9 per cent, up from 1.8 per cent in 2024.

Online sales across all retailers rose by 6.7 per cent over the 12 weeks.

Tesco enjoyed its largest monthly share gain since December 2024 as its hold of the market rose by 0.8 percentage points to 28.4 per cent. This was driven by sales growth of 7.4 per cent compared to last year.

Spending through the tills at Sainsbury’s was up 5.2 per cent on last year, taking its portion of the market to 15.0 per cent.

Sales at Aldi were 4.8 per cent higher, giving it a 10.8 per cent share. Asda and Morrisons’ shares now stand at 11.8 per cent and 8.4 per cent respectively.

Worldpanel added: “Spending at Waitrose grew by 4.8 per cent over the 12 weeks, as its market share sits at 4.4 per cent.

"With its sales rising by 3.4 per cent, Iceland’s hold of the market remains at 2.3 per cent. Convenience specialist Co-op has a 5.4 per cent share of take-home sales.”

There’s also a significant milestone in the freezer aisles this year as the fish finger turns 70 in September.

Mr McKevitt said: “The humble fish finger remains as popular as ever and nearly one billion were sold in the past year.”