Retail trade in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
The retail sector is an important contributor to the economic landscape of the United Kingdom, not just as a source of income but also as an employer, as the sector employs around 3.7 million people. With a few exceptions, the annual value of retail sales in the UK has steadily increased over the past decade, with 2024 witnessing the highest total of roughly 515 billion pounds.
The turnover of the retail trade industry in the UK has seen steady growth since 2020 despite the economic challenges that the country has faced. This indicates that the market is robust and likely to continue to grow over the coming years.
Supermarkets: champions of the sector
Non-specialized food stores (e.g., supermarkets) take up the lion鈥檚 share of the retail landscape in Great Britain. Stores which predominantly sold food enjoyed an annual sales volume worth more than 150 billion British pounds in each of the last 18 years. In 2024, this figure was approximately 177 million pounds, a slight decrease since the previous year. In comparison, the retail sales volume of textile, clothing, and footwear stores was worth almost 53 million pounds in 2023, which showed a strong recovery from previous years.Tesco tops the table
Considering the predominant role supermarkets play in the UK retail sector, it should not come as a surprise that the majority of the top retailers in the country are supermarket giants. Tesco sits at the top of that list, with 17 billion pounds more in sales value than Amazon UK. Tesco had a share of more than a quarter of the grocery store market in Great Britain as of July 2025, which set the supermarket significantly ahead of its competitors. Second-placed Sainsbury's had a share of roughly 15 percent. Aldi made up the top three supermarkets by market share. Outside of supermarkets, one of the was Kingfisher plc, which owns various home improvement chains, such as Screwfix and B&Q.The turnover of the retail trade industry in the UK has seen steady growth since 2020 despite the economic challenges that the country has faced. This indicates that the market is robust and likely to continue to grow over the coming years.
