Sales in Irish supermarkets grew by 2.6% for the 12-week period ending 9 September 2018, according to latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel.
This is the seventh consecutive period of overall growth for major grocers in Ireland, fuelled by sales during the summer's warm weather and the start of the new school year.
Kantar Worldpanel director, David Berry commented, “Staples of the school day like sandwich fillings, yogurts and cereal have seen an increase in popularity as the academic year kicks off.
"Cereals, cereal bars, chocolate, and cheese have all had double-digit uplifts in growth in the past month, to the tune of an additional €7 million being spent in the month to August compared with July,” Berry added.
The sales of branded products increased by 3.9%, while own brand products grew by 1.7%. Sales of branded alcohol, soft drinks, and frozen desserts, generated an extra €29 million as compared to last year.
Top Performers
Tesco emerged as the top retailer for the sixth consecutive period, with a 22.1% share in the grocery market, up from 21.9% for the same period in 2017.
The average customer expenditure in Tesco increased by €10 to €401 in the past 12 weeks, according to the report.
SuperValu occupied second position, with 21.7% market share. The retailer overtook Tesco in alcohol sales, Kantar Worldpanel said, capturing 26% of consumer expenditure in the category.
Dunnes Stores recorded a market share of 21.6%, which also translates to sales growth of 3.2% for the retailer. The retailer's ‘Round Euro’ offers contributed to its improved performance, resulting in sales worth €18.5 million over the past 12 weeks.
Lidl and Aldi recorded comparable performances, with Lidl’s sales growing by 3.0% and Aldi's by 2.9%.
Both saw an improvement in market share, with Lidl capturing 11.8% and Aldi standing at 11.6% – an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point in both cases.
Kantar Worldpanel director, David Berry, said, “Competition in the grocery market has rarely been fiercer. All the major retailers are in growth once again this period, and it’s almost neck-and-neck in the race for market share.
"This healthy competition is good news for shoppers, leading to a fall in the price of food and drink across Ireland," Berry added
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
