By Aimee Look
Online U.K. grocery orders hit their second-highest ever monthly sales in November, just short of the peak reached in February 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data collector Worldpanel.
Sales by value for online orders were the fastest-growing part of the U.K. grocery market, rising 8% for the four-week period ended Nov. 30, Worldpanel said in a report on Tuesday. Technology and retail-automation company Ocado's market share in the overall grocery sector was bolstered by the increase in online orders, reaching 2.2%, as sales rose 15.8% year-on-year for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 30.
Despite the boost in online sales, bricks and mortar still accounts for the lion's share of the grocery sector, the report said. Discount grocer Lidl had the largest market share gain, rising 0.5 percentage points year-on-year for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 30, to reach a market share of 8.1%. Tesco still holds the largest market share, at 28.3% over the same period, the report showed.
The consumer data provider--which takes into account 75,000 identical products and looks at the habits of 30,000 U.K. households--said grocery price inflation remained steady at 4.7% for the month.
Although one in five households indicated they were struggling financially, supermarkets have found ways to guard shoppers from the brunt through offers and lower pricing, the report said.
Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
12-09-25 0914ET
