Symbols and independent convenience retailers suffered the sharpest sales decline of any channel over Christmas, with sales down 4.3 per cent year on year in the 12 weeks to 28 December 2025, according to the latest Worldpanel by Numerator data.
The fall marked the weakest performance among all retailer groups during the key festive trading period, contrasting sharply with growth across supermarkets, discounters and online.
Across the wider grocery market, take-home sales reached a record £13.8 billion in the four weeks to 28 December, up 3.8 per cent year on year, as easing inflation provided limited relief to shoppers. Grocery inflation softened slightly to 4.3 per cent, with households spending an average of £476 during December – around £15 more than last year.
Christmas Day falling on a Thursday shaped shopping patterns, with Monday 22 December emerging as the busiest sales day. Shoppers made the most trips on Tuesday 23 December, spending less per visit but topping up on last-minute festive essentials.
Premium own label continued to outperform, growing 9 per cent and accounting for 7.5 per cent of total sales, up from 7.1 per cent a year earlier. For the first time, premium own-label lines exceeded £1bn in December, appearing in 92 per cent of shoppers’ baskets, with the biggest spend seen in fresh meat and chilled snacks.
Large format supermarkets still dominated, accounting for 60.3 per cent of sales over the four-week period, while discounters claimed their biggest ever Christmas share at 16.8 per cent. Online grocery also strengthened its position, growing 7.5 per cent to reach 12.2 per cent of the market.
Promotional intensity increased further, with deals making up 33.3 per cent of spending, the highest proportion since December 2019. Shoppers spent an extra £36 million on discounted fresh vegetables compared with last Christmas, reflecting strong take-up of festive offers.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator, said easing inflation “helped to take the edge off the cost of Christmas”, adding that it was “a Christmas of smart savings and considered choices”, with discounters enjoying record share and shoppers leaning heavily on loyalty deals.
Despite inflationary pressures on cocoa pushing seasonal chocolate tubs above £5 for the first time, sales rose 19 per cent in the run-up to Christmas, with nearly one million additional shoppers buying into the category. Alcohol was purchased by three quarters of households, while spend on low- and no-alcohol drinks rose 14 per cent, even as the proportion of households buying into the category dipped slightly.
“The slight dip in the numbers of buyers in December may signal that the [low- and no-alcohol] category is beginning to mature, while the rise in sales shows that converted households are doubling down on their favourite low- and no- alcohol tipples,” McKevitt noted.
Among individual retailers, Ocado was again the fastest-growing grocer, up 15 per cent over 12 weeks, taking its market share to 2.1 per cent. Lidl, which reported its biggest Christmas trading period on record, made the biggest market share gains, adding 0.5 percentage points to reach a record 7.8 per cent, supported by 10 per cent sales growth and higher footfall.
Sainsbury’s grew 5.2 per cent to take 16.3 per cent share, while Tesco increased sales by 4.3 per cent, lifting share to 28.7 per cent, its highest since 2015. Aldi and Waitrose also outperformed the market, while grocery sales at Marks & Spencer rose 7.2 per cent.
Elsewhere, Asda now holds 11.4 per cent of the market and convenience retailer Co-op accounts for 5.1 per cent of take-home sales, but both saw sales falling in the 12-week period.