Tesco Continues to Slip
Facing stiff competition from rivals, Tesco’s share of the UK grocery market has slipped to 29.7% – its lowest level since May 2005 – according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 weeks ending 19th February 2012. By contrast, the completion of its Netto conversions helped Asda retain its record share of 17.5% that Kantar Worldpanel reported last month.
Waitrose increased its market share during the month to 4.5% − an all-time record for the retailer. Sainsbury’s continued to out-perform the market in 2012 and lifted its share from 16.5% to 16.6%. Elsewhere, Morrisons dipped slightly by 0.1% to 12.2%.
The Kantar Worldpanel figures show grocery market growth of 4.5%, broadly in line with the grocery market’s performance over the past six months. Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “While the growth rate remains lower than grocery price inflation, currently at 5.5%, the gap between the two measures is narrowing – meaning pressure on household budgets, while still strong, is not getting any worse.”
He elaborates: “At the same time, the ‘Two Nations’ phenomenon continues as value for money remains paramount for many shoppers, with Aldi, Lidl and Iceland all enjoying double-digit growth as they hold on to record shares.”
