UK grocery inflation eases in May - Worldpanel

27th May 2026 09:54

(Sharecast News) - Grocery inflation eased in May, according to data released on Wednesday by Worldpanel by Numerator.

Like-for-like grocery prices rose by 3.1% in the four weeks to 17 May, down from 3.8% in April and marking the slowest rate of increase since December 2024.

Prices rose fastest in markets such as chocolate confectionery, fresh unprocessed fish and healthcare lifestyle products, and fell fastest in chilled butter & spreads, sugar confectionery and household paper.

The figures showed that shoppers leant on promotions to keep costs down, with 30.3% of sales including a deal last month, up from 28.4% a year ago. Overall take-home sales growth rose 1.5% during the four-week period.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator said: "The easing in the rate of inflation is welcome news for shoppers who have been grappling with warnings of a hike in food prices due to the impact of the war in the Middle East.

"This follows the UK government's announcement on a plan to further reduce import tariffs by £150 million on a range of food categories. While further details are expected this week, this would equate to just £5 per household, with the average annual shopping bill for food and drink, excluding alcohol, totalling £4,087."

Discount retailer Lidl saw its market share reach a new record high of 8.6% over the 12 weeks to 17 May, up 0.5 percentage points versus the same period last year. This meant that Lidl became Britain's fifth largest grocer, having accounted for just 1.4% of the market 25 years ago.

Sales at Tesco rose 3.2%, with market share rising to 28.2% from 27.9% in 2025, while Sainsbury's share was 0.1 percentage point higher at 15.2, with sales up 3.1%. Asda's market share now stands at 11.5%, with Aldi and Morrisons at 10.8% and 8.3%, respectively.

Sales at Waitrose were up 3%, with market share steady 4.5%, while Marks & Spencer saw sales jump 9.3% over the 12-week period.

Ocado continued to be the fastest-growing grocer, with sales up by 10.2%, though this is the slowest recorded rate for the retailer since July 2024. Ocado's market share was 0.1 percentage point higher at 2.1%.