Asda has emerged ahead of rivals including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi in one key area, after new figures revealed it has the smallest mean gender pay gap among the UK's biggest grocers for the second year running.

The latest annual disclosures show the UK's 11 largest supermarket groups have collectively narrowed their mean hourly gender pay gap from 9.1% to 8.2%, marking steady-if still incomplete-progress across the sector. Asda's gap now stands at 6.5% for 2025/26, down from 7% the previous year, keeping it firmly in the top spot.

At the other end of the scale, Ocado Retail has gone backwards, with its mean gap widening from 12% to 14%, making it the weakest performer in the latest rankings, according to analysis by The Grocer. The online grocer takes that unwanted position from Marks & Spencer, which improved its figure from 12.2% to 10.8%.

Ocado's trend is particularly notable because it is the only retailer in the group to have seen its gap increase since it began reporting in 2020/21, when it stood at 12%. By contrast, the other major grocers-most of which began reporting in 2017/18-have made consistent progress. Across those 10 companies, the average gap has fallen sharply from 13.4% to 7.4% over eight years.

Despite the improvements, concerns remain about deeper structural inequality. Tea Colaianni, founder of WiHTL and Diversity in Retail, said: "The overall direction of travel is genuinely encouraging, but senior-level disparities persist."

Ms Colaianni pointed to research showing 47% of senior women have considered leaving their roles due to burnout, while two-thirds do not believe promotion processes are fair. The figures suggest that while pay gaps are narrowing, workplace experiences and career progression remain uneven.

The issue has also spilled into wider debate. Recent comments by M&S CEO Stuart Machin about leaders staying engaged while on holiday drew criticism online, with some arguing such expectations disproportionately affect women with greater caregiving responsibilities.

Looking at representation, men still dominate the highest-paid roles across the sector, making up 59% of employees in the top pay quartile-though this is a slight improvement from 60% last year. M&S stands out here, with women accounting for 56% of its top earners, albeit down from 66% in 2017/18.

Responding to its worsening figures, an Ocado Retail spokesperson said: "The results are disappointing, but our structure-focused on head office and call centre roles-can lead to greater volatility."

The company said it remains committed to equal pay and improving diversity through hiring and progression initiatives.