In its latest grocery market share data, Worldpanel by Numerator has found that cooked poultry is “becoming more popular” as a packed lunch choice for schoolchildren.
Grocery inflation stood at 4.9% for the four-week period ending 7th September 2025, with take-home sales growing by 4.8% over the four weeks. Like-for-like grocery price inflation dipped slightly for the second consecutive month from 5.0% last month to 4.9%.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, commented: “Prices might not be climbing quite as quickly, but they’re still on the rise and the battle between own label lines and brands continues as household finances remain tight.
“Supermarkets’ own lines now make up 51.2% of all sales, up from 50.9% a year ago. Sales of these products grew by 5.9% this period, just ahead of brands at 5.3%, but it’s the premium own label goods which are the real standout performers.
“Sales rose by an impressive 10.3% making it six months in a row that they’ve increased by double digits. However, brands are holding ground in some categories, including toothbrushes, frozen chicken and baby toiletries, showing that consumers still value well-known names across some very different parts of the store.”
“While sandwiches still pack a punch at lunch… they are disappearing from some school bags as options like cooked poultry become more popular.”
Fraser McKevitt, Worldpanel by Numerator
As households returned to school and work, supermarket spending habits changed. McKevitt stated: “People often start with good intentions and our data shows that this period is the most popular point in the academic year to bring a packed lunch to school (Worldpanel by Numerator usage data 4 w/e October 2022-2024 under 16 out-of-home carried out lunches vs rest of the year).
“In the two weeks to 7th September, sales of lunchbox staples shot up among families with children compared to the previous fortnight. Spending on yogurt rose by 26%, sliced cooked meats by 17% and cheddar cheese by 24%. And while sandwiches still pack a punch at lunch, featuring in over half of kids’ lunchboxes, they are disappearing from some school bags as options like cooked poultry become more popular.”
Tesco’s market share rose to 28.4%, winning more than any other retailer. Discounter Lidl achieved a market share of 8.2%, while Aldi’s market share remained at 10.7%.
Morrisons achieved a market share of 8.4%, while Asda reported an 11.8% share of the market. Iceland and Co-op took 2.3% and 5.4% of the market respectively, while Waitrose reported a share of 4.4%.
