Christmas is the most important time for UK food retailers; it can determine the performance of their whole year. This year it you were selling food, you did well, but if you were selling anything else, it was much tougher.
Value remained key as Aldi and Lidl both saw a large increase in sales and shoppers continue to look for the lowest prices for both everyday items and festive treats. Tesco also performed well, although fell short of City predictions. Sainsbury’s, The Co-Operative and Waitrose all performed well at the higher end of the market, and Morrison’s managed to maintain the price of a Christmas basket from last year. Marks and Spencer’s suffered, however, in part due to falling clothing sales, but also in its food halls, which traditionally have supported the clothing side of the business.
NFU members can read our breakdown for each retailer here.