Discounter Aldi outperformed its rivals in the Irish grocery sector over the key Christmas period, seeing its value sales rise by 8.6% in the 12 weeks to 30 December, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
The discounter stands on 10.8% market share, the data found, with rival Lidl seeing sales up by 4.6% to sit on 10.5% market share. More than 70% of Irish households visited either discounter over the 12-week period, the study found.
“Own label products still account for the majority of both [Aldi and Lidl's] sales, but it was the premium end of these lines which recorded the strongest growth," commented Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.
"Similarly, sales of branded goods accounted for more than 40% of the growth achieved for both Aldi and Lidl – testament to the popularity of their ever expanding ranges.”
Market Leaders
Dunnes Stores leads the Irish grocery market, on 23.0% market share, with the retailer seeing its value sales rise by 3.9% over the period.
Tesco, which rolled out an extensive vouchering campaign in the run up to Christmas, saw sales up 1.3% to sit on 22.3% share, while SuperValu is on 21.8% share, following a 1.0% value sales rise.
'Dunnes was the only one of the three biggest retailers to see a rise in shopper numbers, with almost 31,000 extra households visiting its stores compared to last year,' Kantar Worldpanel said. 'The retailer also performed strongly in the key battleground of Dublin, accounting for 27.2% of grocery sales in the capital.'
Market Growth
The Irish grocery market grew by 3.0% over the 12-week period, which was a 'record high' for the grocery sector, Kantar Worldpanel said. In December alone, sales reached €995 million, the highest ever monthly sales in the Irish market.
“Irish shoppers showed a willingness to splash out over the festive break," said Faughnan. "Branded and premium private label ranges grew by 3.8% and 11.2% respectively as shoppers spoiled themselves and their families over Christmas. The market also benefited from continued inflation, with prices up 1.6% compared with last year.”
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
