The UK Retail Ranking report provides the most current and comprehensive analysis of the UK Retail Market, focusing on sale densities, performance and innovations of leading retailers and categories within the UK retail market during the 2022/23 financial year. Mintel’s UK Retail Ranking report explores 2022/23 contextual information and discusses the impact on market size, market forecast, market segmentation and industry trends for the Retail Market in the UK.
Understand Quickly
- The impact of COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis on UK the retail market.
- An overview of mergers and acquisitions as well as administrations in the UK retail sector.
- Major players and developments by the UK retail sector.
- A comparison of retailer performance by sales, profit and store data for the leading UK retailers.
- Index of trading names and company names for the leading UK retailers.
Current Retail Landscape
Year-on-year there has been little change in the names operating within the top ten of UK retail, but there has been notable movement in positions. Amazon is now the second largest retailer in the UK. Aldi has overtaken Morrisons to become the fifth largest player in the grocery market. Value-led behaviours and store-expansion, mean Aldi will break the ‘traditional big-four grocery multiples’, a remarkable achievement.
M&S has regained its position as the eighth largest retailer in the UK, a reflection of market trends where stronger demand for clothing helped to recover some lost ground for M&S.
Purchase our full report for a comprehensive overview of the UK Retail Rankings and gain analysis of the consumer behaviours and that will shape the future of the UK retail sector. Still browsing? Take a look at our global Retail Market Research.
Covered in this Report
Categories: Books, News and Stationery, Carpet, Charities, Clothing, DIY, Electrical and Telecom, Food, Footwear, Furniture and Homeware, Garden Centres, Health and Beauty, Home Shopping, Jewellery, Mixed Goods, Opticians, Recreation, Supermarkets and Convenience Stores, Miscellaneous.
Expert Insights from a Retail Analyst
This report, written by Nick Carroll, a leading research analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight trends in UK retail market and add expert context to the numbers.
The 2023 UK Retail Rankings reviews a diverse period, from the Q1 2021 lockdown through to society emerging from the peak of the pandemic and then into the early stages of the cost of living crisis. Rising inflation, while far from the peak we have experienced in 2022/23, underpinned consumers’ hesitancy towards retail spending, while retail faced greater competition for spend from other consumer-facing industries, particularly travel and leisure, with consumers keen to make up for lost time. The bright spots came on the high-street as footfall recovered, and in fashion with a return to socialising and a faster pace of life bringing demand back to the category.”
Nick Carroll
Retail Category Director
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Technical Notes
- Qualifications for inclusion
- Figure 1: Small and medium company exemption limits, 2016
- Sales areas
- Classifications
- Rankings
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Data
- Year-ends
- Sales
- Profit
- Non-retail data
- Subsidiary accounts
- Sales density
- Classifications and market shares
- Figure 2: Sector codes used in this report
- Qualifications for inclusion
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The UK Retail Scene
- The top ten in 2021/22
- Figure 3: UK top 10 retailers, 2019/20-21/22
- Store-based retail bounces back
- Figure 1: Key retail categories, retail sales and performance, 2019-22
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- Figure 2: Online sales as a proportion of all retail sales (excluding fuel), 2021-23
- Notable online-only failures show pressure on online demand
- Squeeze on volumes pressures margins
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- Figure 3: All online retail sales, non-seasonally adjusted, year-on-year change in value and volume sales, 2022-23
- Future financial confidence still low, with a tough year to come for retail demand
- Figure 4: Future financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Opportunities in every market but for some the coming year will be about conservation
- The top ten in 2021/22
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Administrations, Mergers and Acquisitions
- Clothing retailers snapped up
- Acquisitions in the c-store sector
- Figure 13: Key administrations, mergers and acquisitions, 2022-23
- Other administrations
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Books, News and Stationery Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 14: Books, news and stationery specialists: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 15: Leading books, news and stationery specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Carpet Specialists
- Sector Introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 16: Carpet specialists’ sales as % all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 17: Leading carpet specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Charities
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- What we’ve seen
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Clothing Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 18: Clothing specialists sales as a percentage of total retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 19: Leading clothing specialists market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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DIY Specialists
- Sector Introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 20: DIY specialists: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 21: Leading DIY specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Electricals, IT & Telecoms Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 22: Electricals, IT and telecoms specialists sales as % all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 23: Leading electrical, IT & telecoms specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Food Specialists (including Off Licences and Tobacconists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 24: Food specialists: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 25: Leading food specialists, market shares, 2021
- Figure 26: Leading off licences, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Footwear Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 27: Footwear specialists’ sales as % all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 28: Leading footwear specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Furniture and Homewares Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 29: Furniture and homewares specialists’ sales as % all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 30: Leading furniture and homewares specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Garden Centres
- Sector Introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 31: Garden products: spending as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 32: Leading garden centres, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Health and Beauty Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 33: Health and beauty specialists sales as % all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 34: Leading health and beauty specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Home Shopping Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 35: Mail order (incl. internet pureplayers): sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Figure 36: Other non-store retailers: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 37: Leading home shopping specialists, market shares*, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Jewellery Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 38: Jewellery specialists as a percentage of total retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 39: Leading jewellery specialists market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Miscellaneous Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 40: Miscellaneous specialists: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 41: Leading miscellaneous specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Mixed Goods Retailers
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 42: Mixed goods: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 43: Mixed goods retailers, market shares, 2021
- Figure 44: Leading department store retailers, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Opticians
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Sector structure
- Figure 45: Estimated share of the UK optical goods market, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Recreation Specialists
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 46: Recreation specialists: sales as proportion of all retail sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
- Figure 47: Leading recreation specialists, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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Supermarkets, Superstores and Convenience Stores
- Sector introduction
- Sector highlights
- Figure 48: Supermarkets’ sales as % of all retailers’ sales, 2013-22
- Sector structure
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- Figure 49: Leading supermarkets, market shares, 2021
- What we’ve seen
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