'Positive signs' for Morrisons as shoppers embrace supermarket's Savers range

While its overall market share was down on the 9.6 per cent it held at the same point last year, Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said there are promising signals for Morrisons.

He said: “This was the fourth time in a row that we’ve seen Morrisons grow. It’s a modest rise compared to rivals but there are positive signs for the retailer.

"Its Morrisons Savers range is Britain’s fastest growing value line, nearly doubling sales compared to last year, as consumers turn to own-label.”

It remains the fifth-largest supermarket brand in the country, with fourth-placed Aldi the fastest growing retailer.

Its sales rose by 24.6 per cent pushing it to a new record market share of 10.2 per cent, 1.2 percentage points higher than the same period last year. Lidl’s sales growth was only slightly behind its fellow discounter, increasing sales by 23.2 per cent, giving it 7.7 per cent of the market.

Sainsbury’s and Asda’s sales both grew at 10 per cent over the past 12 weeks. They now account for 14.9 per cent and 13.7 per cent of total sales respectively. Britain’s largest retailer, Tesco, saw its sales increase by 8.9 per cent, as it achieved a 27.1 per cent market share.