Ocado and Marks & Spencer have been crowned the big winners of the Christmas grocery battle.
Date from research group Kantar showed Ocado sales rose 9.6 per cent to £672million for the three months to December 29.
Marks & Spencer saw food and drink sales rise by 8.7 per cent over the same period – in just the latest sign of its revival.
They were the biggest increases in the sector, surpassing gains by rivals Tesco and Sainsbury’s and discounters Aldi and Lidl.
By contrast, Asda sales tumbled 5.8 per cent. Once Britain’s second-biggest supermarket, Asda has been in the doldrums since brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa joined private equity giant TDR Capital to buy it in a £6.8billion debt-fuelled deal in 2021.
The report will come as a boost for M&S bosses Stuart Machin, the chief executive, and Archie Norman, the chairman, ahead of the High Street group’s Christmas trading update tomorrow.
In demand: Data from research group Kantar showed Ocado sales rose 9.6% to £672m for the three months to December 29
Not only does it suggest the M&S recovery story continues, but that its tie-up with Ocado is paying dividends. Ocado Retail is a 50/50 joint venture between M&S and the Ocado technology group.
Under Machin’s leadership, M&S has invested in larger food halls and launched new products.
Ocado has also benefited from introducing a greater range of M&S and boutique products under chief executive Hannah Gibson.
The two largest supermarkets, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, held on to their top spots. Tesco sales increased 5 per cent, and holds 28.5 per cent of the grocery market.
Sainsbury’s hit its highest share since December 2019 with 16 per cent as sales grew 3.5 per cent.
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