UK grocery inflation hits highest level in four years - Kantar Worldpanel

* Grocery inflation 3.4 pct in 12 weeks to Nov. 5

* UK grocery sales up 3.2 pct

* Sainsbury (Amsterdam: SJ6.AS - news) 's best performer of big four UK grocers

(Adds detail,)

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation hit its

highest level since November 2013 in the past quarter, driving

supermarkets' sales growth, industry data showed on Tuesday.

Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said grocery inflation

was 3.4 percent in the 12 weeks to Nov. 5, with prices rising

fastest in products such as butter, fish and cola and falling in

only a few products, including crisps and fresh poultry.

It said that over the course of a year, this could add 143.7

pounds ($188.2) to a typical family’s grocery bill.

Official data released on Tuesday showed overall British

consumer price inflation held at an annual rate of 3.0 percent

in October, its highest level in five-and-a-half years.

Kantar Worldpanel said overall UK grocery sales increased in

value by 3.2 percent year on year in the 12-week period.

"Volume sales have increased by less than 1 percent, meaning

it’s price rises keeping supermarket performance buoyant,"

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar

Worldpanel.

Of Britain's big four grocers, Sainsbury's, the No.

2 player, was the best performer for the first time since April

2016, with a sales rise of 2.6 percent.

Sales at market leader Tesco (Frankfurt: 852647 - news) increased 2.3 percent.

Morrisons and Asda followed with rises of 2.1

percent and 1.5 percent respectively.

However, all of the big four still lost market share to

German discounters Aldi and Lidl, which continue to open lots of

new space.

Lidl was Britain's fastest growing supermarket for the fifth

straight period with sales up 15.1 percent. Rival Aldi's sales

rose 13.1 percent.

Market share and sales growth (percent)

12 wks to 12 wks to pct change

Nov. 5, 2017 Nov. 6, 2016 in sales

Tesco 28.0 28.2 2.3

Sainsbury's 16.2 16.3 2.6

Asda 15.3 15.5 1.5

Morrisons 10.4 10.5 2.1

Aldi 6.7 6.1 13.1

Co-Operative 6.1 6.4 -1.5

Lidl 5.1 4.6 15.1

Waitrose 5.3 5.3 2.3

Iceland 2.0 2.1 1.1

Ocado 1.3 1.3 6.8

Source: Kantar Worldpanel

($1 = 0.7637 pounds)

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Costas Pitas and Edmund

Blair)