Lidl overtakes Morrisons to become fifth largest supermarket in Great Britain

Lidl has rapidly opened stores and broadened its appeal to become more of a weekly shopping destination. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Lidl has overtaken Morrisons to become the fifth largest grocer in Great Britain as its sales were powered ahead by households seeking to keep a lid on their weekly bills.

The German-owned discounter increased its sales by 8.8% year on year – making it the fastest-growing store-based grocer – to hit a record high market share of 8.6% over the 12 weeks to 17 May, according to figures from the market analysts Worldpanel by Numerator.