Like-for-like grocery inflation has eased to its lowest level since April 2025, according to Worldpanel by Numerator figures released this morning.
Despite the fall in inflation to 4% in the four weeks to 25 January 2026, shoppers continued to cut down on basket spend.
And after December’s splurge, the long wait for January’s paycheck affected consumer behaviours: own-label goods made up their highest-ever proportion of sales at 52.2% of total UK grocery spend, and promotional spend rose 10.9% compared with the same four weeks the year before.
“For most shoppers, January is all about resetting household budgets, and this year was no exception,” said Worldpanel head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt.
“While grocery sales continue to grow and inflation eased to its lowest level in months, value remained front of mind for many – with own label hitting a record high, accounting for more than half of all grocery spend.”
Lidl was the biggest beneficiary of consumers’ switch to thriftier shopping habits. The fastest-growth bricks and mortar supermarket, it added 10.1% to till sales over the 12 weeks to 25 January, and grew its share 40 basis points to 7.7%, continuing an unbroken run of market share gains since October 2021.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ocado saw even faster growth, with sales up 14.1% driven by growth in both customer numbers and shopping frequency.
Sainsbury’s sales rose 5.3%, with share up 0.2ppts to 16.2%, and Tesco sales grew 4.4% to land market share of 28.7%. Asda and Co-op were the only two supermarkets to see fallling sales, shrinking 3.7% and 1.6% respectively.
While many shoppers cut back on spending, their thriftiness did not hamper new year health ambitions.
According to Worldpanel’s Nutrient survey, a quarter (26%) of shoppers are now actively seeking out high-fibre foods, with a similar amount (23%) buying for protein. These figures were borne out in January’s till data, with sales of fresh fruit and dried pulses volumes up 6% alongside solid growth in fresh fish (+5%), poultry (+3%) and chilled yoghurt (+4%). Cottage cheese soared ahead, up 50% on 2025.
”Shoppers are actively seeking out foods that support their health goals, with strong demand for staples high in nutrients like protein and fibre,” McKevitt added.
”While interest in seasonal diet-focused trends like Veganuary is on the decline, shoppers are taking a more practical, balanced, and achievable approach to healthy eating, built around foods already familiar to most households.”
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