Dunnes Stores tops the table as the largest grocer this period with a 22.6% share of the market, research shows.
The latest figures from Kantar show that Dunnes, which is historically popular during the festive season, attracted a significant number of new shoppers through its doors in the latest 12 weeks, adding €24.2 million to its overall growth.
“A strong homeware offer drove this increase in footfall and empty nesters making early Christmas preparations were particularly important to Dunnes this period,” commented Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar.Aldi announced an extensive vegan range for Christmas 2021 in a bid to win customers in the coming months, the data shows.
The grocer proved especially popular with young families who spent an extra €200,000 in store.
Aldi boosted its market share by 0.4 percentage points to 12.7% over the past 12 weeks.According to the research, SuperValu holds a 22.0% share of the market as its shoppers made an average of 20 trips to the grocer over the past 12 weeks, the highest figure among all the retailers.
Tesco holds a 21.3% share, helped by the recruitment of new shoppers as well as more frequent visits from existing customers.
Lidl held its market share steady at 12.7%.
Overall Grocery Sales
The latest figures from Kantar show that grocery sales fell by 4.8% year on year, during the period.
However, growth is still strong compared with pre-pandemic levels and sales were up 8.9% versus the equivalent period in 2019.“October brought the full easing of COVID-19 restrictions as well as a well-timed bank holiday weekend and shoppers have been making the most of newfound freedoms," Healy said.
Dining out is firmly back on the table, bringing a welcome boost to the hospitality sector as friends and families returned to bars and restaurants.
With fewer meals eaten around the kitchen table, we’ve seen supermarket sales drop by 8.4% in the latest four weeks.
"Irish shoppers spent €86.1 million less on groceries this month compared with the equivalent period last year when the nation was in lockdown,” she added.
Online Growth The ongoing growth of online grocery, which accelerated when shoppers were locked down at home, shows no sign of slowing down and sales grew by 2.2% this month.
Healy noted, “The data suggests that ecommerce has become a lifeline for many people as they adjust to busier routines."
"Online has won long-term converts but also continues to attract new shoppers, with online shopping novices contributing an additional €1.3 million to the sector’s overall performance,” she said.
Christmas Shopping
Despite viruses circulating, shoppers are throwing themselves into celebrations as the festive season draws closer and the country emerges from lockdown.
After months of restrictions, trick or treating was back on the agenda this year and shoppers put in extra effort to mark the occasion.
Sales of pumpkins soared by 59% and an extra €2 million was spent on confectionery over the past 12 weeks.“It seems everyone is looking for an excuse to celebrate and Christmas has certainly arrived in the supermarket aisles," said Healy.
With Christmas ads appearing on our screens earlier than ever, and retailers giving seasonal staples a prominent position on shelves, Irish shoppers are getting into the festive spirit.
Seasonal biscuits and chocolate proved too tempting to resist, with sales growing by 6.2% and 17.4% year on year.
"Fresh turkey and stuffing also benefited and shoppers spent an extra €280,000 and €192,000 on the Christmas dinner must-haves,” she added.
2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
