Record British Apple Sales Reflect Demand For Homegrown Fruit

UK retailers have purchased a record volume of British apples during the first nine months of the 2025/26 season as more grocers respond to the continued growth in shopper appetite for domestically-produced fruit.

Image: BAPL

New figures released by British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) show that supermarkets bought 138,823 tonnes of British apples between September 2025 and May 2026.

This is the highest volume recorded during the same nine-month period over the past four seasons.

So far this season, total British apple sales are running 6,491 tonnes ahead of the equivalent period last year, representing growth of almost 5% and underlining continued consumer demand for UK-grown fruit.

Tesco currently leads the retailer rankings by volume, purchasing 29,186 tonnes of British apples from BAPL growers during the first nine months of the season. 

Aldi remains close behind on 27,171 tonnes, while Lidl has continued to close the gap, reaching 24,421 tonnes following another year of “impressive growth”, according to BAPL.

Sainsbury’s also remains a major supporter of the domestic apple sector, purchasing 19,885 tonnes over the same nine-month period. 

Strong Retail Support Reflects Growers’ Effort

BAPL Executive Chair Ali Capper said the record sales reflect both grower investment in crop quality and growing retailer commitment to British fruit. 

“British shoppers consistently tell us they want to buy British fruit when it is available,” she explained.

“The really encouraging story is that British apple sales are at record levels. Growers have worked incredibly hard to produce a high-quality crop and retailers have responded by increasing their support for British fruit.”

Capper highlighted Tesco’s sales leadership by volume but noted that Lidl and Aldi stand out when their purchases are measured against their retailer size.

“Tesco currently leads the race to be the UK’s biggest purchaser of British apples, but when we look at support relative to retailer size, Lidl and Aldi are in a league of their own,” she revealed.

“Lidl is purchasing British apples at more than twice the level that would be expected from its grocery market share, while Aldi is buying British apples at around 80% above its fair share.

“Lidl deserves particular recognition for delivering the largest increase in purchases this season, while Aldi and Sainsbury’s continue to be among the UK’s biggest supporters of British growers,” she continued.

Capper also pointed to the positive performance of Asda, Morrisons, and Co-op, noting that the data demonstrates increasing support for British apples across a wider range of retailers. 

BAPL said the purpose of publishing monthly retailer purchasing data is to highlight those grocers actively supporting domestic fruit production and to encourage greater commitment from others.

Lidl Leads Growth Story

While Tesco holds the top spot by volume, Lidl has recorded the strongest year-on-year growth among UK retailers, increasing purchases by 3,834 tonnes compared with the same September-May period last season.

Aldi has also expanded its support for British growers, increasing purchases by 1,094 tonnes year-on-year. 

Asda continued its upward trajectory, lifting purchases by 1,628 tonnes to reach 12,828 tonnes.

Elsewhere, Morrisons increased purchases by 710 tonnes, while Co-op has reversed last season’s decline with an increase of more than 500 tonnes.

The figures highlight broad-based growth in retailer support for British apples at a time when growers continue to face rising production costs and increasing pressure to secure long-term commitments from supermarket customers.

New Award Recognises Retailer Backing

The competition for British Apples & Pears Limited’s Retailer of the Year awards is now entering its decisive final phase.

Alongside the traditional volume-based award, BAPL has introduced a new category for 2025/26 that will recognise retailers whose support for British apples exceeds what would be expected based on their share of the grocery market.

On this measure, Lidl and Aldi are the clear frontrunners.

Lidl accounted for 17.6% of all British apples sold by BAPL growers despite holding just 8.6% of the UK grocery market. 

Aldi, meanwhile, purchased 19.6% of British apples while representing 10.8% of total grocery sales.

The metric compares a retailer’s proportion of British apple purchases with its share of the grocery market. 

A score of 100% represents a retailer buying its proportional share of British apples, while scores above 100% indicate stronger-than-expected support for domestic production.

With three months of the marketing season still to run, both the volume and market-share-based awards remain open.

BAPL said it will continue publishing monthly sales data through the remainder of the season, and the final standings will determine the winners of this year’s BAPL Retailer Awards.

For growers, the latest figures provide further evidence that demand for British apples remains robust, with retailer backing helping drive record sales despite ongoing challenges facing the UK’s topfruit sector.

View BAPL’s monthly sales data here.