U.K. Grocery Sales Hit Record High as Sector Inflation Softens, Report Says

By Aimee Look

U.K. shoppers spent more than ever on groceries in December, with take-home sales hitting a record high as inflation in the sector cooled, according to a new report.

Take-home sales for U.K. grocers hit 13.8 billion pounds ($18.69 billion) for the four weeks through Dec. 28, a 3.8% increase from the same period in 2024, according to data collector Worldpanel. The annual grocery inflation rate softened to 4.3% for December from 4.7% in November, Worldpanel said.

Own-label sales for supermarket premium brands snagged 7.5% of overall sales for December, compared with 7.1% during the same period last year, according to the report.

Spending on deals and promotions reached its highest proportion of overall sales for U.K. grocers since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic in December 2019. The share of spending on deals was 33.3%, compared with 32% last year.

Online grocer Ocado maintained its status as the fastest growing grocer, with its sales ticking 15% higher for the 12 weeks ending Dec. 28, compared with the same period last year, the report said. Meanwhile, discount grocer Lidl's market share increased the most, with its slice of the market gaining 0.5 percentage points, to 7.8%.

Write to Aimee Look at aimee.look@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 06, 2026 03:33 ET (08:33 GMT)