From Morningstar:

The UK’s grocery sector had its busiest festive period since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic four years ago. Grocery sales in the 12 weeks to December 24 rose 6.9% to £36.45 billion, and Kantar reported that supermarkets had their highest level of transactions since 2019, with Britons making 488 million trips to the supermarkets, 12 million more than last year and the largest number at Christmas since pre-pandemic times.

The news comes with hopes that inflation is continuing to ease. Annual grocery price inflation in December decreased to 6.7%, and the inflation rate for the full 12 weeks of the survey eased to 8.1%. However, shoppers are still facing significant pressures on their budgets due to inflation.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s saw market share growth, with Tesco remaining the largest grocer and Sainsbury’s recording higher sales. Both supermarkets also saw strong performances for their own-label lines, with branded sales rising as well.

Aldi and Lidl, the UK’s discounting duo, also recorded market share growth and sales increases. Aldi achieved UK sales of more than £1.5 billion for the first time in the month leading up to Christmas, and Lidl reported annual UK sales growth of 12% in the four weeks to December 24.



Read more: UK Supermarkets Had a Bumper Christmas