Sainsbury’s is in “a sweet spot” as it outperforms the sector, according to new figures from Kantar Worldpanel.
Ed Garner, communications director at the retail analyst, told freshinfo that Sainsbury’s is the star performer among the top four after releasing figures for the 12 weeks to 28 November .
The UK’s third-largest retailer has grown its share from 16.1 per cent a year ago to 16.4 per cent. “Sainbury’s is in a sweet spot,” said Garner. “In 2008 when the recession hit, people said ‘let’s buy cheap stuff in cheap shops’. Now people are saying ‘tell me about the food first’. They are interested in provenance and ethics and Sainsbury’s has always been strong in this area.”
The figures also show that Morrisons’ market share has slipped by 0.1 per cent to 12 per cent on a year ago; its first dip in three years. “Morrisons will have to focus on building basket size to sustain its performance,” warned Garner. “The current promotion where shoppers collect five till slips worth over £40 to qualify for a £30 payback is designed to address this.”
Meanwhile, Tesco has moved into positive territory for the first time since May and increased its market share in the period from 30.6 per cent in November 2009 to 30.7 per cent in this period.
Garner predicted a “premium Christmas” as Waitrose strongly outperformed the market, increasing its share from 3.9 per cent for the same period last year to 4.1 per cent this year.
