Emma Bedford
Senior Team Lead Food & Agriculture
Sainsbury group in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
Ranking as one of the leading food retail companies in Europe, Sainsbury’s is a household name throughout the UK. Along with one of their main competitors, Tesco, Sainsbury’s was one of the only UK retailers to make the ranking of the leading twenty European supermarkets.
Having grown far beyond its original store opening in London in 1869, Sainsbury’s is a key player in the UK supermarket landscape. It will have to keep up with changing consumer demands and technological developments to maintain its second place in the supermarket league.
Revenue and stores
Sainsbury’s sales revenue reached a new high of over 36 billion British pounds in the 2023/24 financial year, an increase of almost 38 percent compared to a decade earlier. Sainsbury’s is best known for its groceries and it has a range of own-brand products, from the value ranges to the higher end ‘Taste the Difference’. These products can be found in a range of stores, from convenience stores, branded as ‘Sainsbury’s local’ to huge supermarkets, where you can buy everything from video games to clothes. Their presence is not only apparent in physical stores; Sainsbury’s ranks second in the leading online stores in the UK for groceries and fifth in the online footwear market, demonstrating the brand’s range.Competitors
Sainsbury’s ranks among the biggest UK supermarkets; however, it is consistently second to Tesco, which commands the largest market share at over 27 percent. Sainsbury’s has been in a close battle with Asda over recent years for second place. Most recently, Sainsbury’s held 15.3 percent of the grocery market, while Asda’s share stood at 13.4 percent. The same competitors are battling each other for consumers in the online grocery market, along with the more recent contender, Amazon.Retail diversification
Argos became part of the Sainsbury’s group after a 1.4 billion-pound takeover in 2016. Argos sells products across numerous categories, the most popular being the furniture, homeware, and fashion categories. Over the years, many Argos stores have been relocated inside Sainsbury’s branches. Argos is yet another example of the increased popularity in online shopping, with e-commerce net sales greatly increasing during 2020. Sales growth dipped from 2021 to 2023, but are forecast to pick up again in 2024.Having grown far beyond its original store opening in London in 1869, Sainsbury’s is a key player in the UK supermarket landscape. It will have to keep up with changing consumer demands and technological developments to maintain its second place in the supermarket league.
