Asda was the only major UK supermarket to see its sales fall in the latest trading period, with new figures showing its share of the grocery market has slipped to 11.3 per cent.

Data from Worldpanel showed the supermarket took £4 billion in the 12 weeks to 1 November, down 0.5 per cent on the same period a year ago. Its market share fell from 11.6 per cent to 11.3 per cent over the same period, while every other major grocer grew sales.

The figures are a setback for Asda's recovery plans, coming just months after the business reported its first positive sales figures in more than two years. In the seven weeks to mid-August, like-for-like revenue excluding fuel rose by 0.2 per cent, a small but welcome return to growth after a long run of declines.

Rivals pull further ahead

Asda's competitors all moved in the opposite direction. Lidl led the way with sales up 6.6 per cent, and its market share rose by 0.4 percentage points to 8.6 per cent, the largest gain of any UK supermarket. Morrisons also grew, with sales up 2 per cent, and only Iceland was flat among the other chains.

Online-only retailer Ocado extended its strong run, with sales up 12.3 per cent to £822 million. That marked its 30th successive period of double-digit growth, and its share of the market reached a record 2.3 per cent, up from 2.1 per cent a year ago.

The gap between Asda and the discounters has been widening for some time. Owned by private equity firm TDR Capital, Asda has struggled to keep pace with Aldi and Lidl on price while working to reduce a debt pile of more than £3 billion.

New boss takes charge of the turnaround

The latest figures land just as Asda changes leadership. Former Morrisons chief executive David Potts has been appointed as the new boss, replacing Allan Leighton, who was brought back to lead the turnaround and has now stepped down to a non-executive role.

Potts said on his appointment that Asda had made good progress but that significant opportunities remained, adding that he was delighted and very proud to have been asked to lead the team. Leighton said Potts had an outstanding record in the industry and that his experience was exactly what the business required for the next stage of its transformation.

Asda reported a £989 million pre-tax loss in 2025, although its net debt fell by £500 million to £3.1 billion. Bosses have described the business as being in the foothills of recovery, but the latest Worldpanel data shows how much ground still needs to be won back before the crucial Christmas trading period.

Business Live reported that the sliding figures threaten to derail the revival plans, while Asda's own trading update confirmed the brief return to like-for-like growth in August and said the gap to the market was at its narrowest since 2023. The company will now hope the festive season brings shoppers back through its doors.