UK grocer J Sainsbury is expected to post its first annual loss in a decade today.

Like many of the other chains that built up vast estates of out-of-town hypermarkets, only to find more Britons are now doing smaller shops at local convenience-style stores, Sainsbury’s are taking a write down of their property portfolio.

But the figures are also set against a fierce price battle as the more established supermarket groups plough millions of pounds into lowering prices in order to compete with the German discounters Aldi and Lidl, who have won over middle class shoppers to their discount produce.

Food inflation has fallen dramatically since the beginning of last year.

That in turn has seen changes in the UK’s benchmark inflation rate, the consumer price index (CPI).

This is how the market shares of the major grocers have changed in the last decade.

Posted in: Chart of the day