In the UK market, the traditional “Big Four” retail players, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, have long since given space to newcomers Aldi and Lidl. In fact, where 20 years ago, Aldi and Lidl combined held 4% of the market, their market share now is 19%. The new top 4 sees Tesco on top with a 28% market share, followed by Sainsbury’s with 15%, Aldi accounts for 10% and Lidl stands at 9%.
This became clear at PLMA’s Private Label Summit in Manchester at the end of October. Adam Leyland of trade magazine, The Grocer, painted a picture of the UK grocery landscape. In answer to the question whether the UK is still the private label exemplar for the rest of the world, Leyland offered an “unquestionably yes.”
Marks & Spencer are the purest private label retailer in the UK, with a 96.7% own label spend share. M&S is expanding its store network and wants to grow to 420 M&S food halls by 2028. Discounters follow the ranking with Aldi scoring 91.6% and Lidl an 81.9 % own label spend share.
More than 150 Summit participants experienced UK retailers and their private label programmes firsthand during the extensive guided tour that touched on 6 retail stores in Manchester. At the conclusion of the tours, there was a networking reception at Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium overlooking one of Britain's most famous pitches.