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The latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending 6 December, show that SuperValu remains Ireland’s largest grocery retailer as Christmas approaches. This is a critical time for supermarkets in the run-up to the busiest time of the year.
David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel explains: “It hasn’t all been plain sailing for SuperValu – over the past six months the retailer has seen falling shopper numbers, but in the past 12 weeks it has managed to get that issue under control. This has allowed SuperValu to strengthen its position at the top, posting impressive sales growth of 3.7% and increasing its share of the grocery market to 24.7%. Alongside a strong performance in its traditional heartland – fruit and vegetables – the grocer also posted excellent sales in confectionery, crisps and snacks and soft drinks during the past quarter."
This is the third time this year and the second time in a row that SuperValu has won the supermarket share battle against its chief rival, Tesco. Tesco remains in second place for this period with a 24.1% share of grocery sales.
Dunnes’ sales continue to grow, with an increase of 3.6% this period to cap off a strong year. The retailer has seen non-stop sales growth for the whole of 2015. Elsewhere, Lidl continues to post the strongest growth with sales increasing by 10.6% as 37,000 more shoppers visited the retailer compared with the same time last year. Dublin has proved a particularly strong region for Lidl, with shopper numbers in the nation’s capital increasing by 10% this quarter.
Aldi’s performance remains ahead of the overall market, with sales growth of 2.6% and market share holding at 8.4%.
David Berry has pointed out that the big Christmas shop has yet to take place, but says there are signs that shoppers may have begun their preparations for the festive season earlier this year. "Confectionery, crisps and snacks have all seen double digit growth in shopper spend when compared with last year, helping to increase overall grocery sales by 2.5%," he said.
"Such strong growth is an early indicator that Ireland’s retailers could be in for a bumper Christmas, and we’re sure to see grocers competing eagerly for the biggest slice of festive sales.”#
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