Growth in Booker’s retail sales have crept below 1% for the first time since 2021, as parent company Tesco invests more in value options for wholesale and the One Stop brand. 

In its results for 2024/2025, like-for-like retail sales, excluding tobacco, grew annually by 0.9%, compared with 2.1% growth in its catering arm. 

Across the group, and including tobacco, Booker experienced a 1.8% drop in sales. During the period, the total number of partnered Booker stores grew by a net 566 to 8,000.  

Responding during an analyst call about how the wholesaler was helping independent retailers address cost challenges, Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy said: “Booker is talking all the time with its customer base, on the convenience-retail side and on the catering side. 

“They are expecting cost increases to come through this year, and for some of them to be substantial. That said, they’ve come to rely on Booker as the cheapest and most reliable wholesaler in the market, and we are looking all the time to improve the sophistication of how we help convenience businesses stay competitive. 

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“In retail, we’re seeing more people joining our ‘banner’ brands, particularly Premier, which is serving them well by staying competitive in their communities. Despite a very tough past year for the wholesale market in general, Booker has continued to grow its market share. The plan is to [keep doing] that, and recognise that our customers are facing some stiff challenges.” 

Meanwhile, like-for-like sales across One Stop centrally owned and franchise stores fell by 0.2% during the period.  Addressing the decline, Murphy said: “One Stop experienced the same market conditions as the convenience market Booker served, which was pretty tough last year. 

“Looking back over the past four years, where the convenience market experienced exceptional growth, this past year felt partially like a normalisation. As we go into the current year, the key for us is going to be to make sure we have a strong value proposition in convenience that’s tailored to the needs of the communities we serve. That is going to be the principal focus for One Stop this year.” 

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