Bric countries

Brazil, Russia, India and China will enter the world's top five grocery markets by 2015, according to the latest analysis by IGD.

China is expected to claim top spot from the US in 2012 as the prolonged recession in the developed world continues.

Brazil, Russia and India, meanwhile, are all forecast to overtake third-placed Japan in the next four years.

Russia is currently the lowest ranked of the BRIC countries in seventh, but growth is set to be particularly strong there, with the value of its grocery market doubling to almost €400bn.