Aldi's UK grocery share at record as "big four" lose out -Kantar

LONDON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Britain's "big four" grocers by

sales and No. 5 player The Co-operative lost market

share over the last 12 weeks, while discounter Aldi

registered another record share, monthly industry data showed on

Tuesday.

Market leader Tesco (Hamburg: TCO.HM - news) , J Sainsbury and

Wal-Mart's Asda who are battling to be No. 2, and No. 4 Wm

Morrison all saw their sales growth dip below the market

average of 3.2 percent in the 12 weeks to Nov. 10, researcher

Kantar Worldpanel said.

The Co-op, whose banking arm has suffered a series of crises

this year, was the worst performer, with its sales falling 0.4

percent compared with the same period last year.

In contrast Aldi's sales jumped 31.1 percent to give it a

market share of 3.9 percent, while sales at discounter rival

Lidl increased 13.8 percent, giving it a 3.0 percent

share.

Total British retail sales unexpectedly fell in October,

official data showed last week, a reminder of the headwinds

still facing the economy. Store groups are generally still wary

on the outlook as inflation continues to outpace wage rises.

Kantar said grocery inflation was 3.7 percent for the

12-week period. That exceeds the overall grocery market sales

growth and implies pressure on households to manage down their

"personal inflation" by seeking lower prices.

The number of shoppers visiting Aldi has grown by 16 percent

year-on-year and the average spend per shopper in the store has

risen by nearly 15 percent, said Kantar director Edward Garner.

He said almost a third of British households had shopped in Aldi

in the past 12 weeks.

But Kantar said Christmas shoppers were also seeking luxury

and that sales of premium products had increased significantly -

sales of Tesco's "Finest" range were up 16 percent, while sales

of Sainsbury's "Taste the Difference" range rose 12 percent.

Earlier this month Morrisons reported a 2.4 percent fall in

third-quarter sales at stores open over a year, while Asda

posted a 0.3 percent rise, albeit for a different time period.

Following is a summary of market share and sales growth

(pct).

12 wks to 12 wks to pct change

Nov. 10 2013 Nov. 11 2012 in sales

Tesco 29.8 30.5 0.7

Asda 17.2 17.6 0.8

Sainsbury 16.8 16.9 2.6

Morrison 11.5 11.7 1.5

Co-operative 6.3 6.5 -0.4

Waitrose 4.8 4.6 8.8

Aldi 3.9 3.0 31.1

Lidl 3.0 2.7 13.8

Iceland 2.0 2.0 2.6