Supermarkets in the United Kingdom

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The UK supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, and Sainsbury's, which are the only chains which operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) or more. They are all fully national; there are no regional supermarket chains left in the United Kingdom which operate superstores, just a few small ones which operate smaller stores. The "Big 4" had a combined share of 74.3% of the UK grocery market in the 12 weeks to 4 December 2005 according to retail analysts TNS Superpanel. Tesco is becoming so dominant (its market share passed 30% in mid 2005, nearly double that of second-placed ASDA) that it is beginning to be seen as being in a tier on its own, followed by the three runners-up.

Somerfield is the fifth largest United Kingdom food retailer, but it does not operate superstores.

Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are the most upmarket national supermarket chains (although the former is also the UK's largest clothing retailer, and is often not perceived as a supermarket at all). They trade from medium and small sized stores.

List of current British supermarket chains

Aldi (German owned hard discounter)
ASDA (American owned, by Wal-Mart)
Booths
Budgens
Centra (Irish chain with supermarkets in Northern Ireland)
Co-op, a brand used by various retail co-operatives, including:
*the Co-operative Group
*Leeds Co-operative Society
Costco (this is a warehouse club and predominantly a wholesaler, but 30% of UK sales are to individuals.)
Costcutter (a symbol group and really a convenience store)
Dunnes Stores (Dublin-based company with stores in the UK, concentrated in Northern Ireland)
Farmfoods (a frozen food specialist)
Iceland (indirectly controlled by Baugur Group of Iceland (sic)).
Kwik Save
Lidl (German owned hard discounter)
Londis (a symbol group and really a convenience store)
Marks and Spencer (also the UK's largest clothing retailer)
Morrisons
Netto (a Danish owned hard discounter)
Pricerite
Sainsbury's (Superstores as well as 'Local' and 'Central' sites)
Somerfield
SuperValu (Irish chain with supermarkets in Northern Ireland)
SPAR (a symbol group)
Tesco (superstores, 'Metro', 'Express', 'Extra' and 'Hypermarket' sites)
Waitrose (part of the John Lewis partnership)
Jacksons

List of defunct British supermarket chains

These supermarkets are either no longer trading, have been renamed, or have been taken over and rebranded.

Alldays (bought by the Co-operative Group)
Bejam (bought by Iceland)
Carrefour (UK business sold to Gateway (Somerfield) then later to Asda)
Day & Nite (bought by Tesco)
David Greig (bought by Somerfield)
Fine Fare (purchased and rebranded/integrated into Gateway chain, now Somerfield)
Gateway (now known as Somerfield)
GT Smith (regional in West Yorkshire, bought by Co-operative Group in 2002)
Hillards (bought by Tesco)
Hintons (mainly in North East England and Yorkshire was bought by Argyll Foods to become part of Presto then later Safeway and is now part of Wm Morrison)
International (became Gateway)
Key Markets (bought by Gateway eventully becoming part of Somerfield)
Liptons (became part of Allied Foods, then Argyll Foods, before Safeway (UK) and now part of Wm Morrison).
Local Plus (bought by the Co-operative Group)
Normid (was owned by Co-op)
Presto (merged with Safeway, which is now part of Wm Morrison)
Quality Fare Owned by Leathley's (Bought by Co-op)
Safeway (UK) (bought by Wm Morrison - "Safeway Compact" stores sold on to Somerfield and other retailers)- brand no longer trading in UK.
Shop Rite (Discount supermarket chain tookover by Kwik Save which was later tookover by Somerfield)
VG (became Alldays which, in turn, was bought by the Co-operative Group)
Victor Value (bought by Bejam, later sold to Tesco when Bejam was bought by Iceland)
Wm Low (regional in Scotland and northern England, bought by and rebranded as Tesco)
Stewarts/Crazy Prices "(Northern Ireland-based group, bought by Tesco)"
Walter Wilson (regional in northern England bought by Alldays which later was bought by the Co-operative Group)

Supermarkets in the United Kingdom

The Big four:

ASDA > Morrisons | Sainsbury's | Tesco

Other Major Chains:

Convenience Stores:

Costcutter > Londis | SPAR

Discount Supermarkets:

ALDI > Kwik Save | Lidl | Netto

Supermarkets in the United Kingdom

List of current British supermarket chains

List of defunct British supermarket chains

See also