The latest Kantar market share figures for the French market indicate that E.Leclerc continues to set the pace in the French market, with a 21.5% share in P3, the four-week period to 17 March, and a 0.4% year-on-year increase in share.
Carrefour, in second place, holds a 20.1% market share, which is 0.6% down on the same period last year, however, on a month-on-month basis, the group’s supermarkets have seen a 30-basis-point increase.
Intermarché holds 14.7% of the market, which is up 30 basis points on the same period last year, while Groupe Casino is on 10.7% – a 40-basis-point decline.
Elsewhere, Système U holds 11.0% of the market, Auchan is on 10.2%, and Lidl breaks the 6% mark for the first time, holding 6.1%. L.Delhaize holds 2.9%, and Aldi is on 2.5%.
Commenting on the performance of the main supermarket groups, Kantar reported that E.Leclerc has benefitted by recruiting more than 350,000 additional shoppers, as well as enjoying a loyal clientele. Intermarché, which has also shown positive growth, welcomed 200,000 more shoppers through its doors in the period.
On the performance of Lidl, Kantar reported that the discounter has shown ‘strong dynamism’ since the start of the year, with an additional 400,000 new shoppers and an increase in the frequency of purchase. The brand also increased its advertising investments by 14%, and it is now the biggest advertiser of all the grocers on French TV.
Increase In Spending
Overall, the period saw an increase in French household spending, of 1.2%, which means that value sales have gone up by 1.9% in the first three periods of the year.
According to Kantar, this is due to both a slight increase in the number of items purchased, combined with moderate inflation.
Commenting on the market share figures, analyst Bruno Monteyne of Bernstein Research said, “In terms of channel shift, hypers’ market share fell 16 basis points, versus -29 basis points last period. Supers lost 17 basis points of share, and convenience [lost] six basis points. This market share was picked up by online – +30 basis points – and discounters – +9 basis points.
“This is a weak data point from Carrefour again,” Monteyne added. “There is a lot of hope built into a recovery, but without sales momentum, Carrefour will continue to suffer from operational deleveraging.”
© 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.
