Lidl has been named the fastest-growing supermarket for the sixth consecutive month as the discounter became the only grocer to hit double-digit growth in February.
New figures from Kantar show that Lidl achieved a 10.9% increase over the 12 weeks to 18 February, giving it a 7.5% share of the market – an increase by 0.4 percentage points.
Other supermarkets also grew their share of the market, with fellow discounter Aldi boosting its sales by 5.7% to maintain its 9.4% share, while Sainsbury’s and Tesco increased their share of the market by 0.4 and 0.3 percentage points respectively.
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Data from Kantar also showed that grocery price inflation dropped to 5.3% in February, its lowest rate since March 2022, as shoppers celebrated Valentine’s Day on a budget.
Grocery inflation decreased 1.5 percentage points from January, while take-home grocery sales grew by 5.1% in the four weeks to 18 February.
Kantar strategic insight director Tom Steel said: “Things are looking up for shoppers this February. Consumers have been navigating a grocery inflation rate of more than 4% for two years now, so this latest easing of price rises is especially welcome.”
“Though there’s been lots of discussion about the impact the Red Sea shipping crisis might have on the cost of goods, supermarkets have been pulling out all the stops to keep prices down and help people manage their budgets.
“This month, Morrisons became the latest retailer to launch a price match scheme with Aldi and Lidl, after Asda made the move in January. More generally, we saw promotions accelerate this month after a post-Christmas slowdown.”
