Research shows that Dunnes holds the highest share amongst all grocery retailers in Ireland, at 23.3%, with year-on-year growth of 10.5%, driven by a strong boost in new shoppers – up by 3.24 percentage points, year on year.
The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar in Ireland show that this is the biggest increase in new shoppers amongst all retailers.
Tesco holds 22.5% of the market, with year-on-year growth of 11.3%.
Tesco saw the strongest frequency growth amongst all retailers again – up by 15.8%, year on year – contributing an additional €94.1 million to its overall performance.
SuperValu holds 20.6% of the market, with growth of 4.5%, which is a 0.5-percentage-point increase on last month.
SuperValu shoppers make the most trips in store – an average of 21.7 – compared to those of other retailers, and pick up more items per trip, contributing an additional €5.9 million to its overall performance.
Lidl holds a 13.5% share and growth of 11%, year on year.
More frequent trips contributed an additional €43.2 million to its overall performance.
Aldi holds a 12.3% share, with year-on-year growth of 4%.
A strong boost in new shoppers and more frequent trips contributed an additional €27 million to its overall performance.
The latest Kantar data shows that take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased by 8.5% in the four weeks to 1 October 2023.
Managing Household Budgets
During the month of October, shoppers visited stores more often – up by 5.9% – and made an average of 20.5 trips.
As consumers look for ways to manage household budgets, volumes per trip continued to decline – by 7.3% – compared to last year, with shoppers picking up, on average, one less pack per month than they did previously.
Grocery price inflation, which stands at 10.5% in the 12 weeks to 1 October, is the main driving factor behind the rise in value sales, rather than increased purchasing. Over the last 12 weeks, average prices have risen by 8.7%, year on year.
Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar, commented, “It’s more welcome news for shoppers that inflation has fallen for the fifth month in a row – from last month’s 11.3%.
“Although there is promise in the current trajectory and this marks the lowest level of inflation we have seen since September 2022, the fact is that inflation still remains high.
“There is currently a drop in the level of sales sold on promotion. Back in 2020, 27.7% of sales were on promotion, versus 24.4% this year. This is down 3.3 percentage points, when compared to 2020.”
Possible Shopping Bill Increases
With the current levels of grocery inflation in the market, unless consumers make changes to their shopping habits, the average annual grocery bill is set to rise by €176, from €1,677 to €1,853, the research shows.
Own-label goods remained popular in the latest 12 weeks, with sales up by 11.5%, compared to brands, which have grown by 5.1% during the period.
Own-label value ranges continue to see the strongest growth, at 13%, with Irish shoppers spending an additional €7.7 million, year on year, in a bid to save money and control how much they are spending.
Own-label holds a 47.9% share, with branded value share at 46.8%, which is the highest share seen for these products since June 2022.
Online Shopping
Online sales remained strong over the 12-week period – up by 25.2%, year on year – with shoppers spending an additional €36.1 million online, year on year.
The period saw more frequent trips go up by 5.6% and a boost of new shoppers venturing to the online platform, which is a 1.83-percentage-point increase, with 18% of Irish households now purchasing their groceries online.
