Morrisons is no longer one of the "big four" supermarkets after being overtaken in market share by Aldi, according to Nielsen data.
While Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda maintain their places in the big four, Morrisons' share of 9.6% meant it has been pushed out by Aldi's marginally higher share of 9.7%.
However, it should be noted that Aldi's surpassing of Morrisons is not backed by data from research company Kantar.
Nielsen's latest shopping data for the 12 weeks to 23 March shows that growth in grocery spend continues to slow, reaching 1.2% in March, below the CPI (inflation rate forecast) of 1.9% and down from 2.5% the previous month.
While this is not good news for most supermarkets, economic insecurity and increasing food prices have been a boon for Aldi and Lidl, which have achieved a combined market share of 16% – an all-time high.
Only market leader Tesco enjoyed a market share higher than the combined share of Aldi and Lidl, commanding 26.5% of the market. In second place, Sainsbury's share was 14.4%, followed by Asda's 13.6%.
Meanwhile, according to the latest Kantar data (for the 12 weeks to 24 March), Aldi still trails behind Morrisons in fifth position, with a share of 8% compared with Morrisons' 10.3%. Tesco leads with 27.4%, followed by Sainsbury's (15.3%) and Asda (15.4%).
Mike Watkins, Nielsen's UK head of retailer insight, said: "Aldi and Lidl are growing sales due to new store openings, and from refurbishing and remodelling existing stores. Whilst the top four supermarkets are not opening many new stores at the moment, they are investing significantly in new ranges and customer services, in particular in the food-to-go categories, where shoppers are shifting their fresh-food spend."
