SuperValu stores made 24.9% of Ireland's supermarket sales in the 12 weeks to 29 March, edging ahead of Tesco's 24.7%.

SuperValu's market share has held firm since its parent company Musgrave Group gave its name to the Superquinn stores, which it acquired in 2011. "Rebranding the 24 Superquinn stores under the SuperValu banner in February 2014 led to an immediate jump in market share from 20% to 25.1%," said David Berry, Director at Kantar Worldpanel.

Meanwhile, Tesco's sales were down 3.4% compared to the same period last year.

Dunnes Stores increased its sales by 4.9% year-on-year and its market share is now 22.7%.

Discounters Aldi and Lidl remain the fastest-growing grocery retailers in Ireland, with each now representing more than 8% of the Irish market.