Britain's 'Big Four' grocers lose market share - Kantar

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's "Big Four" supermarkets all lost market share in the 12 weeks to May 19, market research company Kantar said, as like-for-like sales flatlined at leader Tesco and fell at Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

Tesco's share fell to 27.3% from 27.7% a year ago, while Sainsbury's and Asda had equal shares of 15.2%, after sales fell by 1.7% and 0.2% respectively, Kantar said. Sales at Morrisons fell 0.4%, giving it a share of 10.4%.

German discounters Aldi and Lidl continued to record strong growth, with sales up 11.1% and 8.5% respectively, giving them a record combined share of 13.8%, Kantar said.

"This time last year we experienced the hottest May since records began and enjoyed major events like the royal wedding," said Kantar's consumer specialist Chris Hayward, noting that the period would be challenging for all grocers when comparing year-on-year performance.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Keith Weir)