SuperValu has continued to push forward according to the latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland (12 weeks to June 22, 2014).
Among the 'big three' retailers, SuperValu stands out as the star performer, attracting 87,000 new shoppers this quarter, more than any other retailer over the latest period. Additionally, almost three quarters of Irish households shopped in SuperValu over the latest quarter leaving the retailer with a market share of 24.8%.
Commenting on the retailer's performance, Martin Kelleher, managing director of SuperValu said: “The latest Kantar analysis shows strong market growth and underlines the momentum behind the SuperValu brand.
“SuperValu was the strongest supermarket at +1.3% in the period, demonstrating that shoppers are continuing to vote with their feet."
The Kantar results also show that Irish grocery sales are growing at their fastest rate for over a year, by 2% this quarter; the fastest rate since March 2013. Mark Thomson, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel, said that the fall in grocery inflation is providing a welcome relief for households. In particular, in contrast to four years ago when sales were in decline of 4.5%, it is a very positive sign of economic recovery.
Aldi and Lidl continue to deliver growth ahead of the market. “Aldi and Lidl continue to deliver outstanding growth, increasing sales by 19.5 and 12.4 percentage points, and market shares to 8.1% and 8.2% respectively," said Thomson.
While both discounters are continuing to benefit from increased sales, both are experiencing growth mostly as a result of their existing customers spending more. The average Aldi shopper in Ireland spent €161 over the latest period; up €15.60 compared with this time last year.
Meanwhile at the other end of the market, Tesco and Dunnes are both falling behind, with their corresponding shares standing at 26.1% and 21.1% respectively. Thomson explains, “Footfall is increasing for all the large retailers at a time when customers aren’t wedded to a particular grocer week by week. The opportunity for Tesco and Dunnes lies around encouraging shoppers to spend more per shopping trip, which is something that Aldi and Lidl are already doing successfully.” This period’s sales growth comes amid falling inflation, down to 2.3% from 2.6% last period.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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