Dunnes Stores has reclaimed the top spot in the Irish grocery marketplace, according to Kantar Worldpanel market-share data for the 12 weeks to 5 November.
Dunnes Stores holds a 22.4% share of the market, seeing a 1.4% increase in value sales since the same period last year. It is the first time in nine months that the retailer has held the top position.
“Dunnes Stores traditionally posts a strong performance towards the end of the year, and 2017 is no exception,” said David Berry, a director at Kantar Worldpanel. “While growth of 1.4% compared to this time last year is slightly behind the market average, shoppers have spent almost €2 more per trip this period, which has been enough for the retailer to edge ahead of the competition.”
In The Running
Musgrave Group-owned SuperValu places second in the rankings, with a 22.0% market share (a 0.5% increase in sales since last year), while Tesco is on a 21.9% share (a 5.1% increase on last year).
“Tesco’s sales are 5.1% higher than they were this time last year, which has lifted its share of the market from 21.3% in 2016 to 21.9% today,” said Berry. “The retailer is the only one of the top five not to lose shoppers this year, and customers have been tempted in by lower prices.
“On average, consumers have paid 2% less than this time last year, and, in turn, this has contributed to shoppers making bigger trips and returning to store more often.”
In terms of the discounters, Lidl holds an 11.6% share, while Aldi is on an 11.5% share.
Storm Impact
Berry also noted that Storm Ophelia, which led to the closure of schools and businesses in October, had a “surprisingly strong effect on the Irish grocery market. The week before Ophelia landed, supermarkets were buoyed by a spike in sales, as shoppers battened down the hatches in preparation for the course of the storm. Munster, in particular, saw an uplift in sales, with growth reaching 12% during that week.”
Grocery inflation for the period was -0.2%, which was in line with the previous month.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
