Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose have gained share from the major retailers, signalling increasing “polarisation” of the grocery market, the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel have revealed.
Aldi seized a record market share of 3.6% in the 12 weeks to 9 June 2013, Kantar said today, an increase of 29.9% on the year before. Lidl and Waitrose grabbed 3% and 4.9% share respectively, with the latter recording growth of 10.4%.
Of the big four, only Sainsbury’s grew its share year-on-year – inching up from 16.6% to 16.7%.
Tesco’s share hovered at half-a-percent lower than the year before, at 30.5%, while Asda fell to 16.9%.
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Elsewhere, Morrisons’ market share dipped slightly to 11.6%, but its sales edged up 1.2% - an improvement on the 0.3% sales growth it posted in Kantar’s last quarterly report.
The Co-operative Group’s sales continued to shrink, down 1.3%, with its market share dropping to 6.3%.
“The continuing polarisation of the grocery market poses a difficult question for the big four retailers – how to make their offer appealing in an increasingly squeezed market,” said Kantar retail analyst Fraser McKevitt.
“Savvy shoppers are looking for a good deal, but Britain’s largest supermarkets should not lose sight of the other attributes consumers are looking for in their grocer – quality products, clear provenance and an enjoyable in-store experience.”
Kantar said growth in the market was running at 3%, down from 3.9% recorded in the same period last year – a change it attributed to the positive impact of the Diamond Jubilee last June.
Aldi’s growing market share comes as it seeks to define itself as “discounter 2.0”. Last week, it won Grocer of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards, while in May it took a record-breaking 16 gold medals The Grocer’s Own-Brand Food and Drink Awards.
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