Battle · 10 companies

Supermarkets

Unexpected item in the bagging area: a loser

Tesco leads on turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin and net assets; Farmfoods on growth. Tesco is the biggest by turnover at £73,712m, against £33,647m at Sainsbury's. Tesco keeps the most of every £100 it takes, £3.26 as pre-tax profit.

The year ends are up to 12 months apart, so this compares each company's most recent filing rather than the same twelve months. Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury's and Farmfoods file group accounts that include subsidiaries; Asda, Lidl, Waitrose, Morrisons, Iceland and Ocado file for a single company, which flatters the groups on size.

Spark Intel Research Desk·Last updated 6 November 2026·Source: Companies House filed accounts

Accounts compared: Tesco to Feb 2026 · Asda to Dec 2025 · Aldi to Dec 2025 · Lidl to Feb 2026 · Waitrose to Jan 2026 · Sainsbury's to Feb 2026 · Morrisons to Oct 2025 · Iceland to Mar 2025 · Ocado to Mar 2026 · Farmfoods to Jan 2026

Biggest by turnover

Tesco

£73,712m

Highest profit margin

Tesco

3.3%

Fastest-growing turnover

Farmfoods

+18.4%

The Numbers

#	Company	Turnover	Change	Pre-tax profit	Margin	Employees	Pay per head	Turnover per head	Net assets	Bank and cash	Accounts to	Basis
1	TescoTesco PLC	£73,712m	+5.4%	£2,403m	3.3%	227,188	£42,000	£324,000	£11,463m	£2,515m	Feb 2026	Group
2	Sainsbury'sJ Sainsbury PLC	£33,647m	+2.7%	£619m	1.8%	91,000	£47,000	£370,000	£6,150m	£1,067m	Feb 2026	Group
3	AsdaAsda Stores Limited	£24,054m	+1.2%	-£1,709m	-7.1%	129,158	£24,000	£186,000	£1,040m	£49m	Dec 2025	Single company
4	AldiAldi Stores Limited	£19,033m	+5.0%	£400m	2.1%	49,661	£34,000	£383,000	£3,659m	£133m	Dec 2025	Group
5	LidlLidl Great Britain Limited	£12,998m	+10.8%	£206m	1.6%	35,086	£32,000	£370,000	£2,148m	£192m	Feb 2026	Single company
6	MorrisonsWM Morrison Supermarkets Limited	£8,491m	-5.3%	-£166m	-2.0%	43,975	£23,000	£193,000	£5,466m	£295m	Oct 2025	Single company
7	WaitroseWaitrose Limited	£7,767m	+6.9%	£111m	1.4%	44,900	£26,000	£173,000	£718m	£71m	Jan 2026	Single company
8	IcelandIceland Foods Limited	£4,118m	-0.0%	-£0.9m	-0.0%	26,830	£17,000	£153,000	£707m	£124m	Mar 2025	Single company
9	OcadoOcado Retail Limited	£3,193m	-14.6%	-£35m	-1.1%	928	n/d	n/d	-£84m	£73m	Mar 2026	Single company
10	FarmfoodsFarmfoods Limited	£1,237m	+18.4%	£12m	1.0%	5,091	£26,000	£243,000	£181m	£14m	Jan 2026	Group

Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).

Category winners

Biggest by turnover

Tesco

£73,712m

Most pre-tax profit

Tesco

£2,403m

Highest profit margin

Tesco

3.3%

Fastest-growing turnover

Farmfoods

+18.4%

Biggest employer

Tesco

227,188 staff

Highest pay per head

Sainsbury's

£47,000

Most turnover per head

Aldi

£383,000

Largest net assets

Tesco

£11,463m

Most cash

Tesco

£2,515m

The Takeaway

Tesco converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £3.26 reaches pre-tax profit, against a loss of £7.11 at Asda.
Tesco is the largest on the top line, £73,712m of turnover, 2.2x Sainsbury's's £33,647m.
Farmfoods is growing fastest, turnover +18.4% on its own prior year. Morrisons, Iceland and Ocado went backwards.
Tesco is the biggest employer with 227,188 people; Sainsbury's pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £47,000.
Tesco has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £11,463m.

Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?

Tesco keeps the most: £3.26 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. Asda does worst, losing £7.11.

Financing bites hardest at Iceland: £2.13 of every £100 goes on interest.

Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.

The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.

Out of every £100 of turnover

Payroll (staff costs)Financing (interest paid)Other running costsPre-tax profitLoss: the costs beyond £100

Each bar is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.

Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?

By turnover the order is Tesco (£73,712m), Sainsbury's (£33,647m), Asda (£24,054m), Aldi (£19,033m), Lidl (£12,998m), Morrisons (£8,491m), Waitrose (£7,767m), Iceland (£4,118m), Ocado (£3,193m), Farmfoods (£1,237m).

By headcount, Tesco leads with 227,188 employees.

The comparison holds with the dates stated plainly: Tesco to Feb 2026, Asda to Dec 2025, Aldi to Dec 2025, Lidl to Feb 2026, Waitrose to Jan 2026, Sainsbury's to Feb 2026, Morrisons to Oct 2025, Iceland to Mar 2025, Ocado to Mar 2026, Farmfoods to Jan 2026. The bases differ: group accounts include the businesses a company owns, single-company accounts do not.

Turnover on the latest filing

Who is growing fastest?

Farmfoods grew fastest, turnover +18.4% on its own prior year, ahead of Lidl (+10.8%), Waitrose (+6.9%), Tesco (+5.4%), Aldi (+5.0%), Sainsbury's (+2.7%), Asda (+1.2%), Iceland (-0.0%), Morrisons (-5.3%), Ocado (-14.6%).

Turnover change on each company's own prior year

Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?

Tesco employs the most, 227,188 people, against 129,158 at Asda.

Sainsbury's has the highest average staff cost, about £47,000 a head; Iceland the lowest, about £17,000.

Aldi brings in the most turnover per employee, about £383,000, against £153,000 at Iceland. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.

Per-head figures are left out for Ocado (staff costs under 2% of turnover): the staff are probably employed by another company in the group, so dividing by this company's headcount would mislead.

Tesco

227,188

employees, about £42,000 pay a head, £324,000 turnover a head, -0.9% on the year

Asda

129,158

employees, about £24,000 pay a head, £186,000 turnover a head, -1.4% on the year

Aldi

49,661

employees, about £34,000 pay a head, £383,000 turnover a head, -2.0% on the year

Lidl

35,086

employees, about £32,000 pay a head, £370,000 turnover a head, +1.1% on the year

Waitrose

44,900

employees, about £26,000 pay a head, £173,000 turnover a head

Sainsbury's

91,000

employees, about £47,000 pay a head, £370,000 turnover a head, -4.2% on the year

Morrisons

43,975

employees, about £23,000 pay a head, £193,000 turnover a head, -4.7% on the year

Iceland

26,830

employees, about £17,000 pay a head, £153,000 turnover a head, +1.8% on the year

Ocado

928

employees, +6.8% on the year

Farmfoods

5,091

employees, about £26,000 pay a head, £243,000 turnover a head, -2.3% on the year

Who owns each one?

Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.

Tesco PLC · 00445790

Owned by its shareholders

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, so no single controller appears on the register. 2 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Tesco →

Asda Stores Limited · 00464777

Held by Asda Group Limited

A company recorded as a person with significant control. 26 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Asda →

Aldi Stores Limited · 02321869

No controller recorded

The register shows no person with significant control. 5 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Aldi →

Lidl Great Britain Limited · 02816429

No controller recorded

The register shows no person with significant control. 31 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Lidl →

Waitrose Limited · 00099405

Held by John Lewis Plc

A company recorded as a person with significant control. 3 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Waitrose →

J Sainsbury PLC · 00185647

Owned by its shareholders

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, so no single controller appears on the register. 14 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Sainsbury's →

WM Morrison Supermarkets Limited · 00358949

Held by Market Bidco Limited

A company recorded as a person with significant control. 39 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Morrisons →

Iceland Foods Limited · 01107406

Held by Wd Ff Midco Limited

A company recorded as a person with significant control. 8 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Iceland →

Ocado Retail Limited · 03875000

Held by Ocado Holdings Limited

A company recorded as a person with significant control.

Who owns Ocado →

Farmfoods Limited · SC030186

Held by Mr Eric Franklin George Herd

An individual recorded as a person with significant control. 22 outstanding charges on the register.

Who owns Farmfoods →

What does the full ledger show?

Measure	Tesco	Asda	Aldi	Lidl	Waitrose	Sainsbury's	Morrisons	Iceland	Ocado	Farmfoods
Registered name	TESCO PLC	ASDA STORES LIMITED	ALDI STORES LIMITED	LIDL GREAT BRITAIN LIMITED	WAITROSE LIMITED	J SAINSBURY PLC	WM MORRISON SUPERMARKETS LIMITED	ICELAND FOODS LIMITED	OCADO RETAIL LIMITED	FARMFOODS LIMITED
Company number	00445790	00464777	02321869	02816429	00099405	00185647	00358949	01107406	03875000	SC030186
Incorporated	1947	1949	1988	1993	1908	1922	1940	1973	1999	1954
Accounts filed	25 July 2026	16 September 2026	1 October 2026	13 October 2026	14 May 2026	21 July 2026	12 August 2026	7 August 2025	28 September 2026	11 September 2026
Turnover, prior year	£69,916m	£23,774m	£18,125m	£11,733m	£7,267m	£32,772m	£8,962m	£4,118m	£3,737m	£1,044m
Pre-tax profit, prior year	n/d	-£834m	£416m	£157m	£138m	£607m	£2,704m	£16m	-£80m	£30m
Staff costs	£9,461m	£3,089m	£1,668m	£1,121m	£1,151m	£4,319m	£1,022m	£469m	£63m	£134m
Payroll share of turnover	12.8%	12.8%	8.8%	8.6%	14.8%	12.8%	12.0%	11.4%	2.0%	10.8%
Employees, prior year	229,140	131,027	50,655	34,697	n/d	95,000	46,166	26,352	869	5,209
Dividends paid	£936m	n/d	£250m	n/d	n/d	£566m	n/d	n/d	n/d	£0.8m
Charges outstanding	2	26	5	31	3	14	39	8	0	22

A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.

Supermarkets: common questions

Who is the biggest of Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Iceland, Ocado or Farmfoods?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m in the year to February 2026.

Which makes the most profit?

Tesco: £2,403m pre-tax in the year to February 2026.

Which employs the most people?

Tesco, with 227,188 employees in its latest accounts.

Tesco or Asda: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £24,054m at Asda on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Tesco or Aldi: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £19,033m at Aldi on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Lidl: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £12,998m at Lidl on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Waitrose: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Sainsbury's: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £33,647m at Sainsbury's on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Tesco or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £8,491m at Morrisons on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Iceland: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Ocado: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Tesco or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Tesco, with turnover of £73,712m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Tesco keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Aldi: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £19,033m at Aldi on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Lidl: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £12,998m at Lidl on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Waitrose: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Waitrose keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Sainsbury's: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £24,054m at Asda on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £8,491m at Morrisons on their latest filings. On margin, Morrisons keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Asda or Iceland: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Iceland keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Ocado: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Ocado keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Asda or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Asda, with turnover of £24,054m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Farmfoods keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Aldi or Lidl: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £12,998m at Lidl on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Aldi or Waitrose: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Aldi or Sainsbury's: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £19,033m at Aldi on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Aldi or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £8,491m at Morrisons on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Aldi or Iceland: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Aldi or Ocado: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Aldi or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Aldi, with turnover of £19,033m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Aldi keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Waitrose: which is bigger?

Lidl, with turnover of £12,998m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Sainsbury's: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £12,998m at Lidl on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Lidl, with turnover of £12,998m against £8,491m at Morrisons on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Iceland: which is bigger?

Lidl, with turnover of £12,998m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Ocado: which is bigger?

Lidl, with turnover of £12,998m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Lidl or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Lidl, with turnover of £12,998m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Lidl keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Waitrose or Sainsbury's: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Waitrose or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Morrisons, with turnover of £8,491m against £7,767m at Waitrose on their latest filings. On margin, Waitrose keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Waitrose or Iceland: which is bigger?

Waitrose, with turnover of £7,767m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Waitrose keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Waitrose or Ocado: which is bigger?

Waitrose, with turnover of £7,767m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Waitrose keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →

Waitrose or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Waitrose, with turnover of £7,767m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Waitrose keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Sainsbury's or Morrisons: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £8,491m at Morrisons on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Sainsbury's or Iceland: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Sainsbury's or Ocado: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Sainsbury's or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Sainsbury's, with turnover of £33,647m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Sainsbury's keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Morrisons or Iceland: which is bigger?

Morrisons, with turnover of £8,491m against £4,118m at Iceland on their latest filings. On margin, Iceland keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Morrisons or Ocado: which is bigger?

Morrisons, with turnover of £8,491m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Ocado keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Morrisons or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Morrisons, with turnover of £8,491m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Farmfoods keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Iceland or Ocado: which is bigger?

Iceland, with turnover of £4,118m against £3,193m at Ocado on their latest filings. On margin, Iceland keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Iceland or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Iceland, with turnover of £4,118m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Farmfoods keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Ocado or Farmfoods: which is bigger?

Ocado, with turnover of £3,193m against £1,237m at Farmfoods on their latest filings. On margin, Farmfoods keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit.

Where do these figures come from?

Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.