1 big thing helped Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi boost sales in October

One thing proved successful for Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and Lidl in boosting sales in October. Amid rising costs of living, increased National Insurance costs for employers and increased rates of inflation, one might assume that supermarket sales would take a hit in October. However, it seems that many retailers are aware ofwhat customers want. New figures from Worldpanel by Numerator showed that Tesco performed strongly in October, while Co-op and Asda lost some ground.

The new data revealed that Tesco increased its sales by an impressive 5.9% while lifting its market share from 27.7% to 28.2% in October. Lidl also had an impressive October performance, increasing its sales by a staggering 10.8%, taking its market share to 8.2%. However, online supermarket shopping seems to be the fastest-growing trend among Brits. Online grocery retailer Ocado saw spending on home delivery increase by 11%, helping it achieve a sizeable market share of 2.1%.

Ocado experienced a total sales increase of 15.9%, marking its highest rate of growth in four years. Sainsbury's also increased its sales, rising by 5.2% to reach a 15.7% market share.

Meanwhile, Alsi saw a 10.6% market share in October, following a 4.4% increase in sales. Experts have pointed to conscious price cuts made by supermarkets in today's cost-of-living environment, when households are more aware of how much they are spending on their weekly shopping.

Wordpanel head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt said: "Christmas ads are hitting our screens and the race to the big day is on in the supermarket sector. Retailers are acutely aware of the financial struggles that some households are facing, not least ahead of this year's Budget. They're eager to show how they're offering shoppers value for money, putting the emphasis on price cuts rather than multibuy offers."

He added: "It's not just the Grinch who's looking for savings with just shy of 30% of consumer spending at the grocers on promoted items in October, a figure that we expect to go even higher as we get closer to Christmas."

While it was good news for the above-mentioned supermarkets, some saw a drop in sales in October. This includes Asda, which saw its share fall to 11.6% after a 3.9% decline in sales year-on-year.

Meanwhile, Co-op experienced a 1.4% drop in sales compared to last October. Sales were up 3.8% at Waitrose, which saw it maintain a 4.4% share of the market.