"The 2025 UK Retail Rankings covers a period where discretionary demand remained constrained and where value continued to be top of the agenda."
The UK Retail Ranking Report offers a comprehensive analysis of the UK retail market in 2025, focusing on sector performance, leading players, and emerging trends. It covers key areas such as grocery, clothing, electronics, and more, examining how economic conditions and changing consumer behaviors are influencing the market.
This report is important reading for retail industry professionals, market analysts, investors, and business strategists. It provides significant insights into competitive market dynamics, assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions and identifying potential growth opportunities.
Key Topics Explored in the Report
- An exhaustive overview of the UK retail industry ecosystem, highlighting the top retailers and their responses to recent challenges
- Online sales trends from 2023 to 2025, highlighting the growing dominance of digital commerce.
- Analysis of administrative actions, mergers and acquisitions in the UK retail market.
- Sector-specific insights and analyses focusing on sales and market share of the market leaders.
Questions Answered in the Report
- Who were the top 10 UK retailers for 2023/24 and how have their rankings shifted over the years?
- What has been the impact of inflation and consumer confidence on UK retail sales?
- How are smaller and emerging retailers faring in terms of customer growth?
- What are the key trends and challenges in the UK retail sector for 2025 and beyond?
- What are the market shares of leading retail specialists?
UK Retail Rankings 2025 – About the Report
| Report Period | 2020-2024 |
| Number of Pages | 109 |
| Retail Sectors Covered | Books, news & stationery, Carpets, Charities, Clothing, Department Stores, DIY, Electricals, Food Specialists, Footwear, Furniture and Homewares, Garden, Health & Beauty, Home Shopping, Jewellery, Miscellaneous Specialists, Mixed Goods, Off-licenses, Opticians, Recreation, Supermarkets |
| Number of Retailers | 600* |
| Additional Data Included | Operating Profits and Margins, Space and sales per m2 |
*Our aim is to include all the major retailers that we can get data for, as well as a few that we can’t. In practice that means that we are constrained by the small company provisions at Companies House, which allow companies only to file a brief balance sheet summary, and by the structure of companies.
Collapse All
-
THE UK RETAIL SCENE
- The top 10 in 2023/24
- Tesco is the largest retailer in the UK, with Amazon the largest in non-foods
- Continued uncertainty in the market…
- Graph 1: the financial wellbeing index, 2019-25
- …will slow recovery in retail demand
- Graph 2: annual % change in all retail sales (ex. fuel), by volume, 1989-2024
- Growth slows in 2024 against tough inflation-driven sales from 2023
- Global events will create uncertainty, but also opportunity
- Online continues to gain share of sales…
- Graph 3: online sales as a proportion of all retail sales, by month, 2023-25
- …although across both food and non-food the majority of sales still come in-store
- Graph 4: estimated percentage of total grocery retail sales made in-store, 2020-24
- Graph 5: estimated percentage of total non-food sales made within physical stores, 2020-24
- Store-based retailers post-pandemic online boost continues
- Graph 6: share of online sales, by type of retail operation, 2022-25
- Online has redoubled on value credentials…
- Graph 7: selected smaller and emerging retailers, by year-on-year growth in customer numbers within cohort, 2024
- … and this will force stores to accelerate the need for having a USP
-
ADMINISTRATIONS, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
- Another tough year for retailers
- Retailers that have gone bust so far in 2025
- 2024 failures and acquisitions
-
UK RETAILING BY SECTOR
- Books, news and stationery specialists
- Books, news and stationery retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 8: books, news and stationery specialists retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top 5 generate 82% of sales
- Graph 9: leading books, news and stationery specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- WH Smith name exits the UK high street to focus on travel retail
- Waterstones rides the wave of a literary boom
- Jostling for position in the greeting cards and stationery market
- Ryman expands fledgling Design concept and launches new app
- Card Factory sales and profits rise driven by store expansion and an enhanced offering
- Moonpig sees revenue grow amidst innovation drive
- Carpet Retailing
- Carpet retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 10: carpet specialists’ retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top 5 generate just a quarter of sector sales
- Graph 11: leading carpet specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- Tapi Carpets strengthens leadership with Carpetright acquisition
- Charity retailing
- Sector Introduction
- Charity retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 12: number of charities* in England and Wales, 2015-25
- Fast fashion and peer-to-peer selling are impacting donations
- British Heart Foundation is the UK’s leading charity by retail income
- Graph 13: leading charities’ retail income sales, 2023/24
- Charity Super.Mkt opening new stores and pop-ups
- The digital shift in charity retail
- Hospice shops using partnerships to upcycle and recycle fashion
- Clothing specialists
- Sector introduction
- Clothing retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 14: clothing specialists’ retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 45% of sector sales
- Graph 15: leading clothing specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- Thrifty shopping dampening sales of new clothing
- Online boosts Next sales
- Next enters the luxury fashion market with Seasons
- M&S is leveraging its heritage, collaborations, and customer-focused innovations
- Primark investing in its store estate…..
- …..and promoting sustainability with pop-up swap shops
- Mango continues to expand its presence in the UK
- DIY specialists
- Sector introduction
- DIY retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 16: DIY specialists’ retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 84% of sector sales
- Graph 17: leading DIY specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- Technology is shaping the DIY shopping experience
- B&Q remains market leader
- Wickes sees growth from trade sales as big ticket jobs slow
- Homebase enters administration
- Electricals, IT & telecoms specialists
- Sector introduction
- Electricals, IT & telecoms retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 18: electricals, IT and telecoms specialists’ retailers sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Technology advances are driving growth
- Sustainability is becoming more important
- Currys by far the largest specialist player
- Graph 19: leading electrical, IT & telecoms specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- Currys’ revenue remains in decline, but has shown improvement
- Telecom specialists continue to branch out
- Richer Sounds partners with Just Eat for rapid delivery
- EE: developing experiential retail stores
- Marks Electrical enhances services for premium growth
- Food specialists (including off-licences and tobacconists)
- Food specialist retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 20: food specialists’ retailers sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five food specialists generate 21% of sector sales
- Graph 21: leading food specialists’ market shares, 2023/24
- Top four alcoholic drinks, other beverages and tobacco retailers generate 25% of sector sales
- Graph 22: leading off-licences’ market shares, 2023/24
- Greggs continues to expand
- Holland & Barrett investing to redefine its role in health and wellness
- Majestic Wine actively expanding store network
- Footwear retailing
- Footwear sector is fragmented
- Graph 23: leading footwear retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- Clarks’s UK business outperforms group sales
- Schuh incorporates DEI initiatives, while cutting costs
- Footasylum delivers record-breaking financial performance
- Furniture and homewares specialists
- Sector introduction
- Furniture and homewares retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 24: specialist furniture and homeware retailers’ sales as percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top 5 generate 47% of sector sales
- Graph 25: leading furniture and homeware retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- IKEA and Dunelm continue to invest in smaller stores and convenience
- DFS and Furniture Village impacted by Red Sea disruptions
- A focus on expanding physical presence
- Garden centres
- Sector introduction
- Garden centre retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 26: garden products spending as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 64% of sector sales
- Graph 27: leading garden centres’ market shares, 2023/24
- Blue Diamond expanding with acquisitions and green initiatives
- Experiential and lifestyle retail is attracting more garden centre visitors
- Health and beauty retailing
- Sector introduction
- Health and beauty retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 28: health and beauty specialist retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Boots accounts for over half of sector sales
- Graph 29: leading health and beauty specialists, market shares, 2023/24
- Social media becoming a critical tool for beauty and personal care retailers
- Shoppers crave in-person experiences
- Digital-first brands come to life
- Boots maintains leadership
- Superdrug optimising store network and diversifying its online marketplace
- Sephora continues to expand
- Saga of Body Shop continues
- Home shopping specialists
- Sector introduction
- Home shopping specialists within the UK retail sector
- Share of online pure-players has dropped since the pandemic
- Graph 30: sales as percentage of all retail sales, 2015-24
- Graph 31: sales as percentage of all retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 46% of sector sales
- Graph 32: leading home shopping retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- Rapid delivery expands to non-food
- Social commerce fully arrives in the market
- Amazon continues to dominate
- Ocado leads online grocery growth in 2024
- Shein and Temu are reshaping value-led online shopping
- AO focusing on service division and expanding into second-hand
- Shein’s profits in the UK have doubled as sales reach £1.5bn
- ASOS investing in digital features to offset falling sales
- Boohoo focused on leveraging recent investments and cost-saving measures to recover performance
- Jewellery specialists
- Jewellery retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 33: consumer spending on jewellery (estimated) as % of all retail sales, 2016-24
- Top five capture 38% of sector spending
- Graph 34: leading jewellery retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- Signet Jewellers is restructuring
- Pandora expanding with personalisation services
- Watches of Switzerland invests in pre-owned luxury
- Miscellaneous specialists
- Miscellaneous retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 35: miscellaneous specialists retailers’ sales as % of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 13% of sector sales
- Graph 36: leading miscellaneous specialists, market shares, 2023/24
- Halfords focusing on motoring services
- Pets at Home developing its loyalty programme and adding pet services
- Mixed goods retailers
- Sector Introduction
- Mixed goods retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 37: mixed goods retailers’ sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate almost two-thirds of sector sales
- Graph 38: leading mixed goods retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- John Lewis dominates department store sector
- Graph 39: top 5 department store operators’ market shares, 2023/24
- John Lewis focuses on different perceptions of value
- New shareholder in Selfridges
- Home Bargains has ambitious store opening plans
- Wilko stores absorbed by competitors
- Opticians
- Growth through technology and new products
- Specsavers is the dominant player in optical goods
- Graph 40: leading opticians market shares, 2023/24
- Specsavers leads with value-driven innovation
- Boots positioning as a technologically forward, customer-centric retailer
- Vision Express strives for differentiation
- Recreation specialists
- Specialist recreation retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 41: spending on sports and toys as (estimated) percentage of all retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 75% of sector sales
- Graph 42: leading recreation retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- Traditional toy retailing is adapting to the digital age
- A cautious return for Toys R Us
- Tesco and The Entertainer extend their partnership to 850 stores
- Sports retailing challenged by DTC brands
- JD Sports sees sales fall, but optimising store estate
- Sports Direct moving upmarket under Frasers Group
- Supermarkets, superstores and convenience stores
- Sector introduction
- Grocery retailing within the UK retail sector
- Graph 43: grocery retailers’ sales as percentage of all retail sales, 2015-24
- Top five generate 71% of sector sales
- Graph 44: leading grocery retailers’ market shares, 2023/24
- Growth eases but sector sales remain strong, driven by inflation
- Price wars ongoing
- Online grocery outperforms at Sainsburys, with Nectar Prices highlighting value
- Tesco Marketplace expands non-food offer, while Whoosh drives online growth
- Asda’s woes continue
- Morrisons invests in loyalty and extends its Price Match
- Recovery among higher earners driving demand for premium players
- Discounters focus on focus on convenience, quality, and local sourcing
- Sainsbury’s and Waitrose both investing in physical stores
- Changing dynamics in the convenience sector as multiples eye expansion
-
APPENDIX
- Technical notes and definitions
- The rankings
- Qualifications for inclusion
- Classifications
- Classifications and market shares
- Sector codes
- Year-ends
- Sales, profits, sales areas and densities
- Non-retail data
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
$ 2,995 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
