Tesco pipped Sainsbury’s to the post to lead the grocery and food retailer ranking in Retail Week’s Indicator.

The grocer nudged ahead because of its marketing strength. Tesco ranks consistently high across marketing metrics such as its cross-channel loyalty scheme, use of personalised promotions, its pay-per-click investment and online retargeting.

Digital capability was assessed across four performance categories: marketing; logistics and customer service; cross-channel; and ecommerce. All retailers were scored against each performance category, as well as their financial performance. The category scores were aggregated to create an overall score per retailer.