New data published today shows that SuperValu claimed the biggest market share for the fourth month in a row and saw sales rise by 30.9%.
The latest figures from Kantar revealed that Tesco’s typically larger stores allowed it to capitalise on bigger trolley shops and it grew by 20.7% to hold a 21.1% share of the market.
Take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased by 23.2% during the 12 weeks to 12 July 2020.
Three months of increased spending meant an additional €577.7 million passed through tills while the nation continued to work from home, and pubs, bars and restaurants remained closed until the end of June.
“We are beginning to see some people cautiously return to pre-Covid habits. Grocery sales growth over the latest four weeks slowed to 17.8% as shoppers started to spend less on food for their fridge and more on eating and drinking out," said Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar.
"But while some trends are reversing, it appears that others are here to stay," she added.
Branded Goods
Aldi was the major beneficiary of the run on branded goods during the period.
According to the research, the discounters branded sales increased by more than half, which helped the retailer to grow by 20.9% year-on-year.
It was also a record breaking few months for Lidl, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in Ireland over the latest period, and marked the occasion by recording its highest ever market share of 12.7%.
Healy noted: “Shoppers are continuing to treat themselves at home, with sales of savoury snacks and confectionery up 45% and 35% respectively in the most recent 12 weeks. In an uncertain time, people looked to tried and trusted favourites to provide their stay-at-home comforts.
"Brands outpaced own-label alternatives and an additional €345 million was spent on household names in the latest three months. Homegrown Irish brands like Barry’s Tea, Keelings, Kelkin and Keogh’s all experienced a sales boost as shoppers turned to much loved classics,” she added.
Online Sales Soar
Kantar said that grocery sales through digital platforms soared by 123% year-on-year, as the pandemic continued to encourage demand for online shopping.
“It goes without saying that lockdown had a major role to play in driving more shoppers to try online grocery shopping, and it looks like the boom is set to continue," Healy said.
"An additional 75,000 shoppers purchased groceries online over the past 12 weeks, contributing €38.9 million to the channel,” she added.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
