Supermarkets in the United Kingdom

The UK supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons which are the only chains which operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) or more. 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 75.63% of the UK grocery market in the 12 weeks to 22 April 2007 according to retail analysts TNS WorldpanelFact|date=January 2008.

The Co-operative Group is now the fifth largest food retailer in the UK, operating mainly smaller supermarkets and convenience stores, and having once been the UK's foremost retail force through its many local societies, followed by Somerfield in sixth place.

Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are the most upmarket national supermarket chains (although the former is also the UK's largest clothing retailer, and thus often is not perceived as a supermarket).

List of current UK supermarket chains

*Aldi (German owned no frills supermarket)
*Asda (American owned, by Wal-Mart)
*Booths
*Budgens
*Centra (Irish chain with supermarkets in Northern Ireland)
*Co-op and 'The co-operative', a brand used by over 30 retail co-operatives, including:
**The Co-operative Group (the largest)
**Midcounties Co-operative
**Scotmid
**Anglia Regional 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 (Cork-based company with stores in the UK, concentrated in Northern Ireland)
*Farmfoods (a frozen food specialist)
*Filco Foods (Welsh Based supermarket founded in Llantwit Major in 1956)
*Happy Shopper (value branded foods and goods)
* Heron Foods (a frozen food specialist)
*Iceland (indirectly controlled by Baugur Group of Iceland).
*Lidl (German owned no frills supermarket)
*Londis (a symbol group and really a convenience store)
*Mace
*Marks and Spencer (also the UK's largest clothing retailer)
*Morrisons
*Netto (a Danish owned no frills supermarket)
*One Stop (Owned by Tesco)
*Prestige Food and Drink (Superstores as well as 'Local' and 'Central' sites)
*Premier Stores (a Booker Cash & Carry plc symbol group and convenience store)
*Proudfoot (minor chain in North Yorkshire)
*Sainsbury's (Superstores as well as 'Local' and 'Central' sites)
*Shoprite (Isle of Man)
*Somerfield (Purchase agreed by the Co-operative Group on 16 July, 2008 for £1.56 b [Cite news
url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCle6sgD0EIK9TzMf0DpYMZdW7EA
publisher=AFP via Google News
date=2008-07-16
accessdate=2008-07-16
title=Co-op buys rival supermarket Somerfield] )
*SuperValu (Irish chain with supermarkets in Northern Ireland)
*SPAR (a symbol group)
*Tesco (Superstores", 'Metro', 'Express', 'Extra','Hypermarket' and "Homeplus" sites) (Also the UK's largest Non-Food Retailer)
*Waitrose (part of the John Lewis partnership)
*Whole Foods Market (an organic supermarket with one store in London, plus owns several Fresh & Wild stores in the South-East)

List of defunct UK supermarket chains

These supermarkets are either no longer trading, have been renamed, or have been taken over and rebranded.
*Aberness (Scottish convenience chain, purchased by Somerfield early 2000s)
*Alldays "(bought by the Co-operative Group)"
*All 'Ours "(a symbol group within the moffat company - later became premier stores)"
*Bejam "(bought by Iceland)"
*Bishops "(63 stores in SE England, acquired by Budgen in 1984)" [ [http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1985/fulltext/182c03.pdf Competition Commission report, para 3.10 (a)] ]
*BP Safeway "(Listed as Equinox retailing - a partnership between the two companies, dissolved following Safeway takeover, some stores now Tesco Express)"
*Carrefour "(UK business sold to Gateway (Somerfield) then later to Asda)"
*Capital Freezer Centres now owned by Farmfoods
*Circle K "(became part of Alldays)"
*County Stores (Food Stores) (sold to Gateway and converted to Somerfield early 90's, however one branch branded as county stores still remains in Wiliton, Somerset)
*Day & Nite "(bought by Tesco)"
*David Greig "(bought by Somerfield)"
*Europa "(presence in central London; bought by Tesco)"
*Fairway "(became Gateway, now known as Somerfield)
*Fine Fare "(purchased and rebranded/integrated into Gateway chain, now Somerfield)"
*FreshXpress (formed in 2007 out of the remains of Kwik Save, however it went into administration in March 2008)
*Food Giant "rebranded as Kwik Save, then Somerfield"
*Gateway "(now known as Somerfield)"
*Select & Save "(bought by Costcutter)"
*Grandways "(regional in Yorkshire, some stores sold to Argyll Group and Kwik Save in 1992 - 1993, remaineder renamed Jacksons, now owned by Sainsbury's)"
*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)"
*Jackson's "(regional in Yorkshire and North Midlands, bought by Sainsbury's in 2004)"
*Key Markets "(bought by Gateway eventually becoming part of Somerfield)"
*Kwik Save (part of Somerfield group, gone into administration in 2007, some stores now FreshXpress remaining stores converted to Somerfield or leased to others by somerfield group)
*Laws
*Lennons (Part of Key Market, bought by the Dee Corporation and became part of Gateway chain when Dee took Gateway over)
*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)"
*Mace (purchased by Somerfield early 2000s)
*Morning, Noon & Night "(bought by Scotmid)"
*Normans "bought by Plymco and rebranded"
*Normid "(was owned by United Co-operatives)"
*Norco "(an Aberdeen based co-operative society)"
*Presto "(merged with Safeway, which is now part of Wm Morrison)"
*Proudfoot "(Purchased by Tesco in 2008)"
*Quality Fare "(bought by the Co-operative Group)"
*Rainbow "(one of the Co-operative Group brands)"
*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 taken over by Kwik Save which was later taken over by Somerfield)"
*Templeton
*VG "(became Alldays which, in turn, was bought by the Co-operative Group)"
*Victor Value "(originally part of Kwiksave, bought by Bejam, later sold to Tesco when Bejam was bought by Iceland)"
*Wm Low "(presence in Scotland and northern England, bought by and rebranded as Tesco)"
*Stewarts/Crazy Prices "(ABF owned Northern Ireland group, bought by Tesco)"
*Supernational "(became Gateway)

ee also

*TNS Worldpanel - UK grocery market share figures
*For supermarkets worldwide see "List of supermarkets".

*Current [http://www.fooddeserts.org/images/suptime.htm trends] in food retailing.

References