Sainsbury's store numbers in the United Kingdom (UK) 2009-2024, by store type
As of March 4, 2024, there were 1,431 Sainsbury's grocery stores in the UK, 834 of which were convenience stores. The rest of the stores were supermarkets. The growth of supermarkets has slowed down in recent years, yet increased slightly compared to 2023.
Sainsbury's in profile
Headquartered in London, Sainsbury's is the second largest supermarket in the United Kingdom and one of the 'big four' grocery retailers alongside Tesco, Morrisons and Asda. Founded by John James Sainsbury in 1869 with a shop on Drury Lane, London, Sainsbury's was the largest grocery retailer until 1995, at which point Tesco overtook it to become the market leader. The holding company J Sainsbury plc is split into three divisions: Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, Sainsbury's Bank and Sainsbury's Argos.
Pressure from the German discounters
Along with the other major grocery retailers in the UK, Sainsbury's have been hard hit by the market entry and popularity of discounters, resulting in the ongoing supermarket 'price wars'. Aldi and Lidl are both still experiencing continuous sales growth. If the trend of the previous year’s continue, as seems likely, pressure on Sainsbury’s will rise even further.
