UK retail: Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S to report Christmas sales
Mastercard data, which measures both in-store and online retail sales, showed a 2.6% rise in sales value between the 1 November and 24 December period compared to last year.
An increase in value due to high inflation, not because consumers purchased more items. In volumes, sales are expected to fall by 4.1%, as IGTV’s Angela Barnes explains.
(AI Video Summary)
UK supermarkets gain more market share
Three popular UK supermarket chains, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Marks & Spencer, have recently shared updates on their Christmas trading. The latest data shows that Tesco and Sainsbury's have gained more market share. Sainsbury's, in particular, achieved its highest market share since December 2020 at 15.8%, while Tesco remains the UK's largest grocery retailer, with a market share of 27.6%. However, it's important to note that the increase in retail sales during the Christmas period was mostly due to high inflation, rather than increased consumer purchases. In fact, sales volume is expected to drop by 4.1%.
Moreover, research from MRI Software highlights that footfall in UK retail destinations on Boxing Day increased by 4% compared to the previous year. However, it's still significantly lower, about 14.9%, than the levels seen in 2019, suggesting that consumers may have chosen to postpone their shopping until after Christmas.
Positive supermarket share price performance
Turning our attention to the share prices of these supermarket chains, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Marks & Spencer all had positive performance in 2023. Marks & Spencer secured the second-highest position on the FTSE 100 list. Tesco's share price rose by approximately 27% since the beginning of 2023, while Sainsbury's saw an increase of about 29% during the same period. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer experienced significant growth, with a gain of around 111% since January 2023.
In conclusion, it has been a successful year for these three retailers in terms of their share prices. However, the impact on their market share and sales volume remains to be seen, as inflationary pressures and evolving consumer behavior continue to play a role. Overall, though, things are looking positive for these supermarket chains in the stock market.
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