Upmarket UK retailer Waitrose and discounter Aldi have both gained share of the UK grocery market, according to the latest figures from analysts at Kantar Worldpanel.

For the 12 weeks to 23 January, Waitrose saw sales grow 7.1% thanks to strong trading over Christmas and store expansion. The company’s share of UK grocery sales climbed from 4.1% to 4.2%, Kantar said.

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At the other end of the market, Aldi’s sales rose 9.8% as UK consumers again looked for value, amid concerns over the outlook for the country’s economy. Consequently, the retailer’s market share rose from 2.9% to 3.1%, Kantar said.

Sales at rival discounter Lidl, meanwhile, grew 9.9% – taking the company’s market share from 2.2% to 2.4%. Including sales at Netto’s UK business, which is set to be acquired by Asda, discount retailers enjoyed a combined market share of 6.1%, the Kantar figures claimed.

“With growth of 7.1%, Waitrose continues to benefit from strong sales at Christmas, boosted by new shoppers this year at both existing and new stores. However, with a group of shoppers tightening their purse strings and seeking value, we’re also seeing a counter trend at the other end of the retail scale,” Kantar communications director Ed Garner said. “Although January is not traditionally a strong period for the discounters, both Aldi and Lidl have posted near 10% growth and lifted the total discounters’ market share from 5.9% last year to 6.1% in the latest period.”

Of the UK’s so-called Big Four retailers, Sainsbury’s increased its share of the market from 16.3% to 16.6% after seeing sales rise by 5.7%.

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Tesco and Asda’s share of the market was static – at 30.5% and 16.9% respectively – after seeing sales rise 4.3% and 4%.

Morrisons’ market share dipped – down from 12.5% to 12.4% – as its sales rose 3.5%. Kantar, however, said it “should be acknowledged that [Morrisons] is faced with strong year-on-year comparatives as its 12.5% share in January 2010 was a record performance for Morrisons”.

On rising food prices, Kantar said grocery inflation stood at 3.1% over the 12-week period, with rising commodity costs “held back by high levels of promotional discount”.