FDBusiness.com

The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland for the 12 weeks ending 21 May 2017 show that the market continues to grow despite continued price deflation. The value of the grocery market has increased by 2.2% during the past quarter compared with last year, making the sector worth €2.37 billion over the 12 weeks – up €50 million on last year.

David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel.

David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “With the average price per pack falling slightly, growth has been driven by households buying extra items, with the average shopping basket increasing in size.  Retailers’ own brands continue to lead the way, growing sales by 3.8% and accounting for 54% of grocery purchasing.”

Among the retailers, SuperValu remains in the top spot with a clear 0.5 percentage point lead over Tesco in second place.  Sales at SuperValu have increased by 1.2% as shoppers added more items to their trolleys, spending an additional €1 on average per trip compared with this time last year.

Edging ahead of Dunnes Stores by 0.1 percentage points, Tesco has moved back into second place during the past quarter for the first time since September 2016, capturing a 22.0% share of the market.  While value sales increased only slightly by 0.3%, volume sales continue to tell a more positive story – up 4.6% year on year as shoppers visit Tesco more regularly.

David Berry continues: “The recent strong performance from Dunnes Stores has continued, with overall sales improving by 4.9% compared with last year.  This is despite the number of consumers visiting Dunnes actually falling – the retailer had 54,000 fewer shoppers during the past 12 weeks.  However this has been offset by an impressive spending increase among remaining customers, with Dunnes shoppers spending 10% more – €47 extra on average – with the grocer during the latest quarter.

“Meanwhile Lidl and Aldi have also enjoyed strong performances during the past 12 weeks.  Growth for Lidl has accelerated to 2.7% with Aldi boosting sales by 4.0%.  Lidl now captures 11.4% of the grocery market, with Aldi just behind with an 11.2% share.  Both retailers have benefited from shoppers visiting them more often, with Lidl seeing almost one additional trip per shopper over the past 12 weeks.”

Grocery market inflation stands at -0.2% for the 12 week period ending 21 May 2017, up slightly from the -0.3% seen last month.