Which supermarkets made most profits during Christmas 2024?
12th February 2025
British Christmas supermarket sales hit a record £13 billion in December, with household grocery spending averaging £460 over the four weeks leading up to Christmas. NFU shared which store chain has made the most profits.
The NFU food business unit has broken down information on retailers’ performances and key Christmas trends with the use of Kantar data and UK retailer reports.
The study found that while spending increased, purchase volumes remained flat due to inflation. Premium own-label sales surged by 14.6%, now making up 7% of all sales.
Online grocery shopping also reached new heights, with 5.6 million households using delivery or click-and-collect, driving online spending to £1.6 billion, continuing to outpace in-store sales.
Top supermarkets during Christmas 2024
Tesco turned out to be the leader among supermarkets last Christmas. It maintained its lead, increasing grocery sales by 6.8% year-on-year over December and growing its market share to 28.5%.
More than 18 million customers bought Tesco’s Finest range, driving a 16.7% sales increase, resulting from a net switching from premium retailers, NFU confirmed.
Sainsbury’s year-on-year sales rose by 3.8% in the six weeks to 4th January, with its ‘Taste the Difference’ range growing by 16% and outperforming competitors.
The research found that Nectar Price promotions attracted big-basket shoppers, and party food sales surged by 40%, with more than 200 bottles of fizz sold per minute in the lead-up to Christmas, growing Sainsbury’s grocery market share to 16%.
Lidl’s customer base grew by 2 million, driving a 7% sales increase and surpassing £1 billion turnover in December, driving Lidl’s market share to 7.3%.
Lidl saw an increase to its British supply base by 20%, with one fresh British turkey being sold every second, along with 16 million British pigs in blankets and 750,000 British beef joints.
Other strong rivals
Aldi’s year-on-year sales increased by 3.4% to £1.6 billion, with market share reaching 10%. Christmas product sales rose by 10% and reached more than £1.6 billion, making it Aldi’s best yet as shoppers spread costs by buying themed treats even earlier.
Strong sales of fresh British products were recorded, with more than 350,000 British turkeys sold, more than 400 tonnes of British beef, and almost 3 million British brussels sprouts.
Aldi’s year-on-year sales increased by 3.4% to £1.6 billion, with market share reaching 10%.
M&S food sales jumped 8.7%, with grocery like-for-like sales up 8.9% over the 13 weeks to 28 December.
Morrisons saw its strongest annual growth in four years, with like-for-like sales up 4.1%.
However, a cyberattack on Morrisons technology provider – Blue Yonder – in November disrupted fresh produce availability across the critical Christmas period, which may have contributed to the retailers slowing Christmas sales growth and reducing market share to 8.6% from 8.8%.
Waitrose relaunched its premium no.1 range in September, contributing to 554 new Christmas products. However, sales only grew by 2.1%, lagging behind M&S.
Asda has yet to release its Christmas trading statement, but Kantar data shows a 5.8% sales decline over the 12-week period, reducing its market share to 12.5%. However, Asda has re-launched its 2025 ‘Roll Back’ campaign to regain big shop customers and boost volume sales.
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