Aldi and Lidl sales up a fifth as inflation hits households

The two grocers reached a joint record market share of 12% as inflation cost families an extra £27 on groceries over the past 12 weeks, Kantar Worldpanel figures show.

Aldi and Lidl saw sales grow 19.2% year on year as 62% of the UK population shopped in either of them over the past three months, up from 58% this time last year and an additional 1.1 million households.

Iceland also grew well ahead of the market, increasing sales by 8.6% and attracting 380,000 more shoppers to boost its share to to 2.2%.

Overall sales grow by 3.8% year on year, the market’s best performance since September 2013.

All 10 grocers researched saw sales increase, boosted by higher prices as inflation continues, Kantar said.

Own-label sales were up 6% year on year, in contrast to branded products which grew by just 0.6% during the same period.

Tesco increased sales by 1.8% year on year, attracting more than 250,000 extra shoppers over the 12 weeks, helped by promotions on barbecue foods and its Food Love Stories campaign encouraging customers to cook from scratch.

Asda also increased shopper numbers by more than 360,000, but Morrisons once again enjoyed the best performance of the big four, with sales of its premium own label range The Best up by a third on last year.

Chris Hayward, consumer specialist at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “The big four have collectively grown by 1.6% overall, while Aldi and Lidl together grew at their fastest rate since January 2015.

“Consumers are starting to feel the pinch as prices continue to rise, with the average household spending an additional £27 on groceries during the past 12 weeks.”