Waitrose has gained market share for the first time in over two years, according to new data from Kantar.

Kantar’s supermarket share and inflation update showed that the upmarket grocer achieved a 0.1 percentage point rise to 4.5%, as sales at the Waitrose increased by 3.3%.

It is the first time Waitrose has experienced an increase in its market share since January 2022 and comes amid a difficult couple of years for owner the John Lewis Partnership.

Waitrose chair Sharon White last month insisted that the company was “back on track” and said that the convenience sector is a top expansion priority for Waitrose.

Elsewhere, Kantar’s data revealed that Ocado became the fastest growing grocer for the fifth month in a row, as its sales rose by 10.7% over the 12 weeks to 7 July.

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The feat boosted the online supermarket’s share of the market to 1.8%, up 0.1 percentage points in comparison to the same period last year.

Tesco also achieved its biggest biggest share gain since November 2021, taking 27.7% of the market and representing a 0.7 percentage point increase compared to the previous year.

Lidl continued to accelerate faster than fellow discounter Aldi, with sales rising 7.8% for Lidl and 0.3% for Aldi in the 12 weeks. However, Aldi remains firmly ahead of its rival, with 10% of the market share compared to Lidl’s 8.1%.

Meanwhile, Asda faced a less successful 12 week period, with the supermarket holding a 12.7% share – down 0.9 percentage points since last year. Convenience retailer Co-op also found itself down 0.3 percentage points with a market share of 5.7%.

Kantar head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt said: “We’re still waiting for the great British summer to break through the clouds, and we’re seeing the effects of that in our shopping baskets.”

“Over the past three months, sales of cold and flu treatments jumped by 35%, while sun cream dipped by 10% compared with last year, when we were enjoying the warmest June on record. Some shoppers aren’t letting the disappointing weather dull their glow, however, pushing up sales of artificial tan by 16%.”

“The retail landscape looks very different from 2010 when the last Labour government was in power – and so do our shopping trolleys.”