LONDON, Jan 7 Reuters Britain39;s biggest supermarket group Tesco, No. 2 Sainsbury39;s and discounter Lidl were winners at Christmas, posting sales growth of 5.0, 3.5 and 6.6respectively, according to industry data published on Tuesday.

No. 3 Asda remained the industry laggard, with sales down 5.8 in the 12 weeks to Dec. 29 compared with the previous year, market researcher Kantar said.

Tesco39;s strong performance increased its share of the market to 28.5, while Sainsbury39;s achieved its highest share since December 2019 at 16.0.

Annual grocery price inflation was 3.7 in the four week December period, its highest level since March, and a jump on the 2.6 in last month39;s report.

UK supermarkets have warned that tax rises and another increase in the national minimum wage will be inflationary in 2025.

Separate data from the British Retail Consortium on Tuesday showed Black Friday spending helped lift retail sales in late 2024 but overall sales in the final quarter proved disappointing.

Kantar said 13 billion pounds 16.3 billion passed through UK supermarket tills over the four weeks to Dec. 29, with takehome grocery sales up 2.1 yearonyear.

In terms of sales over the 12week period, Marks Spencer39;s food and drink business rose 8.7, Kantar said, while online supermarket Ocado came in top with a 9.6 jump.

UK supermarkets39; market share and sales growth

Market share 12 wks to Dec. 29 2024

Market share 12 wks to Dec. 31 2023…