The latest figures from Worldpanel by Numerator have shown that take-home sales at the grocers grew by 4.8% over the four weeks to 7th September compared to last year.
Like-for-like grocery price inflation dipped slightly for the second consecutive month to 4.9%. This was down from the 5% reported during the previous month. Premium own label sales were up by 10.3%, marking six months of consecutive double-digit growth.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, commented: “Prices might not be climbing quite as quickly, but they’re still on the rise and the battle between own label lines and brands continues as household finances remain tight. Supermarkets’ own lines now make up 51.2% of all sales, up from 50.9% a year ago.
“Sales of these products grew by 5.9% this period, just ahead of brands at 5.3%, but it’s the premium own label goods that are the real standout performers. Sales rose by an impressive 10.3% making it six months in a row that they’ve increased by double digits. However, brands are holding ground in some categories, including toothbrushes, frozen chicken and baby toiletries, showing that consumers still value well-known names across some very different parts of the store.”
What people bought at the supermarket was impacted by people returning to work and school, the data showed.
McKevitt continued: “People often start with good intentions and our data shows that this period is the most popular point in the academic year to bring a packed lunch to school (Worldpanel by Numerator usage data 4 w/e October 2022-2024 under 16 out-of-home carried out lunches vs rest of the year).
“In the two weeks to 7th September, sales of lunchbox staples shot up among families with children compared to the previous fortnight. Spending on yogurt rose by 26%, sliced cooked meats by 17% and cheddar cheese by 24%. And while sandwiches still pack a punch at lunch, featuring in over half of kids’ lunchboxes, they are disappearing from some school bags as options like cooked poultry become more popular.”
Tesco achieves 28.4% market share
Tesco won more market share than any other grocer in the 12 weeks to 7th September 2025, now accounting for 28.4% of all sales, up 0.8% compared to a year ago. Worldpanel by Numerator called it “Britain’s largest grocer” as it saw growth across all channels, with spending up 7.7% – its highest rate since December 2023.
Ocado was reportedly the fastest growing retailer as sales rose by 11.9%, outpacing the wider online market, which was up by 8.2% over the 12 weeks. Spending through the tills at Sainsbury’s increased by 5.4%, taking its portion of the market up to 15.1%.
Lidl was the fastest growing bricks and mortar retailer, with sales up 11%, moving its share to 8.2% from 7.8% in 2024. Fellow discounter Aldi held its 10.7% share with an uplift in spending of 4.7%. Morrisons’ portion of the market reached 8.4%, while Asda’s stood at 11.8%.
Take-home sales at Iceland grew by 4.7%, with its share remaining at 2.3%, while convenience specialist Co-op had a 5.4% hold of the market. Waitrose & Partners’ share sat at 4.4%, with spending up by 4.3%. Sales of groceries at M&S were 5.9% higher than a year ago.
