Six out of 10 Irish shoppers buy products from retailer premium own-brand ranges such as Tesco Finest or Dunnes Simply Better, at least once a week, according to a new survey by Empathy Research. Of 955 respondents, both men (59%) and women (59%) bought the premium ranges equally, but people with children were more likely (63%) to buy the premium ranges of own brand than those without kids (56%).
Dubliners were found to be the most prone (64%) to buying products from a premium own brand range than other regions in the country. Munster shoppers were the next most likely to buy them (59%), with the rest of Leinster (57%) and Connacht/Ulster (55%) slightly less so.
When questioned on the quality difference between premium own-brand and mainstream brands, over a quarter of shoppers thought that the own brands were generally better compared to mainstream brands. Marginally more females (31%) than males (28%) believed premium own brand to be better quality than mainstream brands. Amongst the medium age groups, this was slightly higher with a third of 25-34 (31%) and 35-44 year olds (34%) thinking premium own-brand ranges are always or mostly better than mainstream brands. This was slightly higher than 18-24 (28%) and 45+ year olds (27%). Interestingly, six out of 10 shoppers thought that premium own-brands and mainstream brands were the same quality.
Just over half of Irish shoppers said that they think that Tesco Finest offers the best variety of all the premium own-brands. However, just 45% of 45+ year olds were of this opinion, while the other age groups were slightly fonder of Tesco finest range; 18-24 (57%), 25-34 (52%) and 35-44 (58%).
Meanwhile over a quarter (28%) of consumers think the Aldi Specially Selected range offers the best variety. This was closely followed by Dunnes Simple Better range (27%). One in five (20%) Dubliners think the Aldi Specially Selected range offers the best variety. This is significantly lower than all the other regions; Rest of Leinster (31%), Connacht/Ulster (31%) and Munster (30%).
When it comes to quality, over a third (35%) of consumers think the Tesco Finest range offers the best quality. Slightly more females (39%) were of this opinion than males (30%). While significantly more 18-24 year olds (57%) were of this opinion compared to the other, older age groups; 25-34 (33%), 35-44 (37%) and 45+ (31%).
Almost a quarter (23%) of consumers think the Aldi Specially Selected range offers the best quality. This was followed by Superquinn SQ Superior Quality (21%) and Dunnes Simply Better (20%).
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
