AbstractThis paper considers the use of alternative methodologies for assessing corporate performance of industrial sectors within the economy. It is argued that the use of ratio analysis in itself is insufficient for assessing performance, and that more advanced tools like data envelopment analysis should be used to complement ratio analysis. Data envelopment analysis is used in the paper to address a series of issues concerning the measurement of corporate performance, which includes an assessment of sales' efficiency, the effects of economies of scale, benchmarking of a firm's performance and the association between industry groups and performance. The paper uses data drawn from the grocery industry in the UK.