UK Food Retail Statistics in 2022

Here we look at some of the key UK food retail statistics in 2022, showing trends, companies, revenues and channels within the grocery sales sector.

 

Top 10 UK Supermarkets – Percentage Market Share

  1. Tesco – 27%
  2. Sainsbury’s 15.3%
  3. Asda – 14.8%
  4. Morrisons – 10%
  5. Aldi – 8%
  6. Co-op – 6.2%
  7. Lidl – 6%
  8. Waitrose – 5%
  9. Iceland – 2.3%
  10. Ocado – 1.8% (Ocado is an online-only grocery delivery service)

Sources: Statista, Wikipedia.
M&S is often not included on such lists as food retail is not its primary business. 

 

Most Popular Supermarket Chains  – Positive Opinion Scores

  1. Aldi – 76%
  2. M&S Food – 75%
  3. Lidl – 73%
  4. Co-op Food – 71%
  5. Morrisons – 69%
  6. Sainsbury’s – 68%
  7. Tesco – 66% (does not include Tesco Express, which scored 64%)
  8. Iceland – 66%
  9. Asda – 64%
  10. Waitrose – 61%

Source: YouGov Q3 2021 Survey Ratings 

 

UK Fresh Fruit Sales – Revenue (£M)

  1. Apples – 609.9
  2. Bananas – 591.6
  3. Strawberries – 577.6
  4. Grapes – 577.3
  5. Blueberries – 409.9
  6. Clementines – 344.7
  7. Raspberries – 326.3
  8. Oranges – 162.7
  9. Pears – 156.0
  10. Lemons – 132.5

Source: The Grocer / Nielsen

In total, UK fresh fruit sales were worth approximately £4.678 Billion in 2020, up £1.768 Million (3.9%) compared to 2019 figures. It has been speculated that a combination of additional eating at home and a greater attention on fruit as part of a health regime drove this increased fruit consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic. Citrus fruits (Clementine, Orange and Lemon) high in vitamin C all saw notable increases in sales.

 

UK Fresh Vegetable Sales – Revenue (£M)

  1. Potatoes – 784.1
  2. Tomatoes – 695.7
  3. Dry Leaf Salads – 420.1
  4. Mushrooms – 333.9
  5. Peppers – 325.8
  6. Avocadoes – 251.1
  7. Onions – 242.1
  8. Broccoli – 238.1
  9. Cucumbers – 221.9
  10. Lettuce – 174.7

Source: The Grocer / Nielsen

In total, UK fresh vegetable sales were worth approximately £5.497 Billion in 2020, up £347.1 Million (6.7%) compared to 2019 figures. Again, higher levels of home cooking and greater attention to healthy eating may have been key drivers of increased vegetable sales due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns that affected consumer behaviour in the United Kingdom.

 

Country of Origin – Foods Consumed in the UK

RegionPercentage supplied to the UK
UKa55%
EU26%
Africa4%
North America4%
South America4%
Asia4%
Rest of Europe2%
Australasia1%

a UK origin consists of UK domestic production minus UK exports.

Source: UK Government food statistics summary 

 

UK Agri-Food Sector Employees

Q4 2019Million employees
Agriculture and Fishing0.43
Food and Drink Manufacturing0.41
Food and Drink Wholesaling0.25
Food and Drink Retailing1.11
Non-Residential Catering1.85
Total food sector3.62
Total agri-food sector4.05

Source: UK Government food statistics summary 
In total, an estimated 4.1 people are employed in the wider agri-food sector, when the fishing industry and self-employed farmers are included.

These UK food retail statistics will be updated regularly as new data becomes available.