Morrisons market share still building
Strong position for Safeway bid
October 24 2003
Morrisons is still taking market share from supermarket rivals, strengthening its hand as it decides the level of its bid for Safeway, expected next month.
Till roll data from Taylor Nelson Sofres puts Morrison’s market share up to 6.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to October 12, up from 5.9 per cent last year and from 6.1 per cent on the previous month’s figures.
At the same time Safeway’s share of the market fell by a marginal 0.6 per cent to 9.2 per cent on the monthly measure, and down from 9.8 per cent a year ago. Safeway has said that speculation over its future has hit market share this year, but any dip in performance is likely to influence Morrisons ultimate bid price.
The figures also show that Asda is continuing to build market share, up to 16.8 per cent from 16 per cent a year ago. Market leader Tesco saw its share edge up to 27 per cent up from 25.9 per cent a year ago, while Somerfield improved its share by 0.2 per cent to 5.6 per cent.
Sainsbury’s overall share fell to 16.1 per cent across the 12 weeks, down from 17.4 per cent in the same period last year.
