Finance
UK grocery inflation steady at 4.7%, keeps pressure on households, says Worldpanel
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 9, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 9, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
UK grocery inflation remains at 4.7%, impacting households as Christmas approaches. Tesco leads market share, while Sainsbury's sees sales growth.
By James Davey
LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation held steady at 4.7% in the four weeks to November 30, industry data showed on Tuesday, keeping the pressure on households who are facing higher bills as they head into the Christmas holiday period.
The figure from Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Kantar) provided an early indication of pricing pressures ahead of official UK inflation data on December 17.
The Bank of England is watching food prices closely as it believes they play a big role in shaping the public's overall inflation expectations. Britain's headline inflation rate eased to 3.6% in October.
UK PRICES RISE THE FASTEST IN CHOCOLATE, MEAT
Worldpanel said prices were rising the fastest in chocolate confectionery, fresh meat and poultry and falling fastest in sugar confectionery, household paper, and fragrances.
It said UK grocery sales over the four weeks rose by 3.4% - indicating volumes were down after inflation is taken into account.
"Retailers are ramping up investment in promotions to encourage shoppers through their doors as the march to Christmas gets underway with sales expected to exceed 13.6 billion pounds ($18.1 billion) in December," Worldpanel said.
It said 31.2% of spending in November was on promoted items, up from 30% last year, and noted the cost of a Christmas turkey dinner for four is 32.46 pounds ($43.28), a few pence cheaper than last year.
TESCO ENJOYS BIGGEST MARKET SHARE, SAINSBURY'S AT NO. 2
Worldpanel said industry leader Tesco's sales rose 4.7% over the 12 weeks to November 30 year-on-year, taking its market share to 28.3%. Sales at No. 2 player Sainsbury's increased 5.1% and its share rose to 16.0%.
However, number three Asda continued to struggle - its sales fell 4.3% and its share fell to 11.5%, down 90 basis points on the year.
Separate survey data published on Tuesday showed British consumers kept a tight rein on their overall spending in November as they awaited finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget, while retailers said Black Friday sales disappointed.
UK supermarkets' market share and sales growth (%)
Market share Market % change in
12 weeks to share 12 sales
November 30 weeks to (year-on-ye
2025 December ar)
1 2024
Tesco 28.3 28.0 4.7
Sainsbury's 16.0 15.7 5.1
Asda 11.5 12.4 -4.3
Aldi 10.5 10.5 4.1
Morrisons 8.3 8.4 2.1
Lidl 8.1 7.6 10.2
Co-operative 5.3 5.5 -1.4
Waitrose 4.4 4.4 4.0
Iceland 2.3 2.3 4.0
Ocado 2.2 1.9 15.8
Source: Worldpanel by Numerator
($1 = 0.7502 pounds)
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Paul Sandle and Bernadette Baum)
Grocery inflation refers to the increase in prices of food and household items sold in grocery stores over a specific period, affecting consumers' purchasing power and household budgets.
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom, responsible for setting monetary policy, issuing currency, and overseeing financial stability.
Promoted items are products that retailers offer at discounted prices or special deals to encourage consumers to purchase them, often seen during sales events.
Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises, eroding purchasing power and affecting economic stability.
Market share is the portion of a market controlled by a particular company or product, often expressed as a percentage of total sales in that market.
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