Tesco has retained its place at the top of the Irish grocery landscape in the latest market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, with all grocers enjoying a summer boost.
According to the figures for the 12 weeks to 12 August, Tesco holds 22.4% share of the market, following a 4.8% increase in sales last year, while SuperValu is second on 22.0% (+2.4% increase in sales) and Dunnes Stores is third on 20.9% (+1.9% increase in sales).
Increased Spend
While Tesco has seen a decline in the average price paid per item, Kantar Worldpanel said, this has been counteracted by shoppers spending more at the retailer overall – an additional €21 per customer in this period.
SuperValu, meanwhile, has been able to benefit from its association with the GAA Hurling and Football Championships, which have enabled the retailer to “stay at the forefront of consumers’ minds and [is] contributing to its steady growth,” according to Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.
“In particular, it’s performing well outside of its Munster heartland – in Dublin sales are up 3.6%, while in the rest of Leinster sales have grown by 6.2%.”
At Dunnes Stores, meanwhile, sales were buoyed by the success of the retailer’s barbecue categories, such as its ‘Mix and Match’ promotion on meat in the run up to the August bank holiday weekend.
Discounter Lidl posted a market share of 11.9% for the period, seeing its sales rise 1.9%, while Aldi sits on 11.5%, following a 2.9% gain in sales, boosted by its ‘Swap and Save’ campaign.
Summer Boost
Overall, as Faughnan explained, the warm summer weather helped boost retailers’ sales as the summer progressed.
“It’s been a summer of indulgence for customers. Alcohol is continuing to boom – overall sales of beer, wine and cider are up 10%,” he said.
“Ice cream is also up by a third compared to this time last year – equivalent to an extra €10 million – and soft drinks sales have jumped by 13%. The August bank holiday provided the retailers with another opportunity to cash in, with targeted advertisements and promotional activity directing customers towards specific categories such as fresh meat, fruit and vegetables and branded treats.”
© 2018 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.
