Fast-growing Aldi overtakes Asda in food and drink sales

Aldi has overtaken Asda in food and drink sales, as the discounter’s growth surges while Asda’s turnaround falters.

Aldi’s market share of food and drink sales grew to 10.6% in the 12 weeks to March 23, while Asda’s fell back from 10.5% to 10.4%, according to Kantar data.

Aldi’s food and drink sales share climbed from 10.1% in the 12 weeks to 23 February.

The blow for Asda comes after it scrapped its Aldi price match scheme in January, as revealed by The Grocer at the time.

However, the food and drink sales figures, which have not been published by Kantar but were seen by The Telegraph, do not include alcohol, toiletries, household goods or beauty items. With these added, Asda is still the third-largest UK grocer by market share, with Aldi in fourth place.

Latest published Kantar data showed Aldi’s sales growing at their fastest rate in over a year. They were up 5.6% year on year in the 12 weeks to 23 March, pushing its market share to 11% for the first time, up from 10.7% a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Asda sales were down 5.6% year on year, as its market share dropped from 13.6% to 12.5%.

“We have a clear plan to deliver outstanding value for our customers and since relaunching Rollback at the end of January we have reduced prices on a third of our entire range,” said an Asda spokesperson.

“This focus on lowering prices for hard-working families is reflected in the latest and most-widely followed Kantar data, as Asda inflated behind the discounters and clearly maintained its position as the third-largest supermarket in the UK.

“The dataset put to us – which Kantar does not publish – is highly selective and does not include key grocery categories such as alcoholic drinks, pet food, laundry, household products and toiletries.”

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Asda executive chairman Allan Leighton told The Grocer in March he saw Aldi price match schemes as “utter nonsense”.

The supermarket is instead relying on investment in its own Rollback campaign to draw customers on price.

Announcing its annual results – which revealed like-for-like sales fell 3.4% in 2024 – Leighton said the supermarket would “materially reduce” profits this year to invest in better prices.

Latest published Kantar data also showed Lidl’s growth was accelerating, to reach its fastest rate since September. Its sales grew by 9.1% in the 12 weeks to 23 March, pushing its market share to 7.8%, up from 7.4% a year earlier. Lidl attracted 385,000 additional shoppers in March, more than any other grocer, and saw a double-digit rise in footfall.