Top 10 online stores in the UK

The list of the top 10 online stores in the United Kingdom is largely dominated by local retailers. That makes it stand out from other European countries, where international online stores are usually dominating the market. On this page, you can find out more about the biggest online sellers in the United Kingdom.

List of the top 10 online stores in the UK

Of course, the top 10 list on online stores changes every year. But in 2023, this was the list of 10 biggest online stores in the United Kingdom, based on data from Statista:

1. Amazon 15.01 billion euros
2. Sainsbury’s 6.14 billion euros
3. Tesco 5.97 billion euros
4. Asda 4.78 billion euros
5. Argos 3.88 billion euros
6. Ocado 2.73 billion euros
7. Next 2.53 billion euros
8. John Lewis 2.41 billion euros
9. Currys 2.37 billion euros
10. Apple 2.13 billion euros

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In Europe online shoppers purchase weekly, mostly fashion food and groceries

Information about the biggest online retailers

As you can see, Amazon is the most popular online store in the country. It is followed by several local supermarket chains, which also offer the option to order groceries online. They have a large online market share. Below, we have highlighted some of the stores that made it to the top 10.

sainsburysSainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s is one of the largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. It has a strong online presence, with more than two-thirds of all of the retail shoppers in the UK shopping at Sainsbury’s in 2023. Consumers choose this company because of its quick online groceries deliveries.

tescoTesco

Tesco is another supermarket chain, with a strong online presence. In 2023, its online market share was 34 percent. Between 2022 and 2023, its online sales increased 10.4 percent. Weekly, customers placed 1.2 million orders, which was an increase of 5.3 percent compared to a year before.

nextNext

Next is a chain of stores selling lifestyle items, such as clothes, accessories, furniture, gift items and flowers, beauty products and sports products. It has several brick-and-mortar stores, but it also has a strong online presence. The company’s total online sales increased 5 percent between 2023 and 2024.

john lewisJohn Lewis

Department store chain John Lewis sells high-end products in the categories Home & Garden, Furniture & Lights, Electricals, Fashion, Beauty, Baby & Kids, Sports & Travel, Gifts and more. In addition to its brick-and-mortar stores, it also has an online presence.

currysCurrys

This omnichannel retailer of technology products and services has 727 stores in six countries. It sells laptops, washing machines, phones, and more. In 2023, its sales grew 2 percent.

The rest of the top 10 online stores

The rest of the top 10 is made up of more supermarket chains, as well as international players like Apple and Amazon. The United Kingdom is also known for online stores such as Asos, Secret Sales and Missguided. Due to a massive rise in inflation in the country since 2022, many online stores saw their sales volumes decline. This is why Asos, after being in the top 10 for many years, is not included anymore by 2023.

Local sellers have large market share

The ecommerce market in the United Kingdom is dominated by local omnichannel sellers. Because of their established reputation with their brick-and-mortar stores, they were able to perform well online when launching their online channels.

This can make it difficult for online sellers to gain a customer base in the country. However, by being active on online marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy, they automatically reach a larger audience.

Do you want to sell cross-border in Europe? It ain't easy but with the right ecommerce software, online marketing channels and European fulfillment companies market leadership is surely possible.

Pleuni

Pleuni

Pleuni writes all types of news and background articles for Ecommerce News, where she has been working since 2019.

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