Marks & Spencer has overtaken Waitrose as the grocer of Middle England for the first time, as well as outstripping every other supermarket in sales growth. 

Marks & Spencer foodhall

Source: M&S

Value perception of M&S food is the highest it has been in a decade

According to unpublished market data seen by The Telegraph, M&S has outsold Waitrose over the past four weeks of the crucial pre-Christmas period. 

The data, collected by Kantar, showed M&S held a 4.03% share of the grocery market for the four weeks to November 3, compared with 3.76% a year earlier.

Waitrose’s share declined to 3.91% during the same period, down from 4.02% a year ago.

According to the report, this marks the first time M&S has overtaken Waitrose outside the Christmas period when shoppers spend more on food-to-order, which skews results.

The retailer also posted a bigger sales rise than any of the supermarkets during the period. Sales surged by 11% versus a year earlier, compared with 6.9% growth at Lidl, 6.3% at Sainsbury’s and 5.8% at Tesco. Waitrose, meanwhile, grew sales by 1% in the period, only outpacing Asda and the Co-op. 

Earlier this month, M&S posted soaring sales and profits, driven by strong sales performances from its food and clothing businesses.

For the 26 weeks to September 28, M&S profits before tax jumped 17.2% to £407.8m, while it delivered statutory profits of £391.9m, up from £325.6m in the same period last year.

Statutory revenue rose 5.7% to over £6.4bn, while sales were up 5.8% to over £6.5bn. By category, M&S food sales rose 8.1% with adjusted operating profit of £213.1m. Clothing and home sales jumped 4.7% with adjusted operating profit of £242.2m.

After the results announcement, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said: “Executing our strategy to ‘Reshape M&S for Growth’ has again delivered an increase in customers, sales value and volume, market share, profit and returns. Both food and clothing have now delivered market share growth for four consecutive years.

“Central to our strategy is our vision to be the most trusted retailer, with quality products at the heart of everything we do. This is not something we take lightly and our relentlessness in delivering customers the best quality, innovation, service and value only available at M&S underpins our trading momentum.

“In food, we have been resolute in our commitment to trusted value. Over 1,000 products are being upgraded and 1,400 new lines are being launched across the year, putting us even further ahead of the pack on quality credentials, and value perception is the highest it’s been in a decade. Progress on being a ‘shopping list retailer’ has driven growth in larger baskets.”