Dunnes holds the highest market share amongst all retailers at 23.2%, with growth of 13.4% year-on-year, research shows.
This growth stems from an influx of new shoppers to store, up 1.3 percentage points, and shoppers returning more often to store, up 4.7%, the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar in Ireland showed.
Tesco holds 22.1% of the market with growth of 13.6% year-on-year, and the strongest frequency growth amongst all retailers, up 12.8%.
SuperValu holds 20.6% of the market and growth of 4.2%, with shoppers making the most trips in store when compared to all retailers, with an average of 21.7 trips over the 12-week period, an increase of 12.1% year-on-year.
Lidl holds 13.3% share and growth of 11.7% year-on-year. An influx of new shoppers and more frequent trips contributed an additional €25.2m to overall performance.
Aldi holds 12.3% share with growth of 9.1% year-on-year, welcoming a boost in new shoppers and more frequent trips contributed an additional €40.1m to overall performance.
Take-Home Grocery Sales
Take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased in the four weeks to 19 March 2023, according to the latest data from Kantar, thanks to a month of celebrations including Mother’s Day, St Patricks Day and the Irish rugby team winning the Six Nations Grand Slam.
Value grocery sales increased by 13.3%, up from 10.2% in February, as the average price per pack increased by 13.8%.
Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar, commented, “March was a busy month for Irish consumers with plenty of events and opportunities to celebrate. We also welcomed longer, brighter days so we saw shoppers visiting stores more often.
"Shopper visits grew 13% year-on-year, which is the highest level of footfall since March 2020. In actual terms this means shoppers made two additional trips to stores in March."
Grocery Price Inflation
Although value sales are up significantly, grocery price inflation is still the driving factor rather than just increased spending.
"Grocery inflation continues to rise and now stands at 16.8%, with the annual grocery bill set to rise by €1,211 if consumers don’t make changes to their shopping habits," she added.
In the 12 weeks to 19 March 2023 take-home grocery sales increased by 9.5%, contributing an additional €268m to the overall market performance, as shoppers returned to store more often (up 7.7%) and average price per pack increased by 13.9% year-on-year.
“Consumers are opting to shop little and often to help manage their household budgets. Basket mission really drives growth for the overall market – up 25.1% – with shoppers spending an additional €119.6m year-on-year. The indulgent mission grew 17.7% year-on-year, as shoppers made more indulgent trips in line with the festivities in March, “ adds Kantar’s Emer Healy.
Own Label Growth
The Irish market continues to see much stronger own label growth (13.5%) than brands (6.2%) as shoppers look for ways to save money. Value own label saw the strongest growth (34.5%) year-on-year.
Own label continues to out-perform brands, while online sales stay buoyant with shoppers spending €18 million more on these ranges. Own label now holds a higher value share than brands – 47.3% compared to 47%.
Online sales also remained strong over the 12-week period, up 2.6%, with shoppers spending an additional €3.9 million online year-on-year. More frequent trips (4%) and higher average prices (15.5%) helped to drive growth.
© 2023 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition
