Dunnes Stores has reclaimed the top spot in the Irish grocery market for the first time since February of this year, according to the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, covering the 12 weeks ending 7 October 2018.
The retailer posted strong sales growth of 3.4% over the latest period, with an overall market share of 22.1%.
Commenting on the figures, Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said, “Dunnes traditionally performs strongly over the festive period, and the retailer may feel like Christmas has come early this year.
“While it is too soon to assess the full impact of its new Everyday Savers offer, which prices many own-brand everyday items at a euro or less, Dunnes’ continued focus on shopper campaigns has helped to attract an extra 14,000 shoppers this period,” added Faughnan.
Second-Largest Supermarket
After six consecutive periods at the top, Tesco emerged as the second-largest supermarket, with a market share of 21.5%.
With online grocery sales up 15% compared to this time last year, the retailer will be hoping that its latest e-commerce initiative will increase its dominance in the online grocery market in Ireland.
Faughnan said, “Tesco’s recent announcement of free delivery for over-65s when they spend €50 or more shows it is looking to further cash in on the growth of online shopping in Ireland.
“Although just 2.4% of grocery retailing comes through e-commerce at present, this figure is forecast to hit 5.0% by 2022, and retailers are now looking at new ways to capture their fair share of the online pie,” he added.
Munster Drives SuperValu's Sales
Musgrave-owned SuperValu claimed the third spot, with a market share of 21.4%.
Faughnan explained, “Although SuperValu holds a 26.0% share in its Munster heartland, the retailer is less represented in Dublin, where it only accounts for 19.4% of sales.
“By contrast, Tesco and Dunnes perform more strongly in the capital, with shares of 23.6% and 26.1%, respectively. Musgrave will be hoping its latest acquisition can help SuperValu make up ground in this area,” he added.
In September of this year, Musgrave acquired high-end Dublin-based grocer Donnybrook Fair.
Aldi’s Record Market Share
The data for the Irish grocery market for the most recent period shared by Kantar Worldpanel also revealed that Aldi acquired a record market share of 11.8%, with sales growth of 4.5%.
The discounter’s ‘Swap & Save’ campaign, which challenges shoppers to see how much they can save by switching to Aldi, has been credited for the surge in market share.
The retailer also attracted around 28,000 shoppers through its doors, with more than 80% of its growth in the past 12 weeks coming through family shoppers.
Lidl reported a strong performance in the most recent 12 weeks, growing its market share to 11.7% on the back of sales growth of 3%.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
