SuperValu still on top as growth increases

The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the year ending 21 May 2017 show that the market continues to grow despite price deflation. Grocery market value was up by 2.2 per cent during the past quarter compared with last year, making the sector worth €2.37 billion over the 12 weeks – up €50 million on last year.

David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, said that with the average price per pack falling slightly, growth has been driven by households buying extra items, with the average shopping basket increasing in size. Retailers’ own brands continue to lead the way, growing sales by 3.8 per cent and accounting for 54 per cent of purchases.

SuperValu remains in the top spot with a clear 0.5 percentage point lead over Tesco in second place. SuperValu sales increased by 1.2 per cent as shoppers added more items to their trolleys, spending an extra €1 on average per trip. Edging ahead of Dunnes Stores by 0.1 percentage points, Tesco now has a 22 per cent share.

While value sales increased only slightly by 0.3%, volume sales continue to tell a more positive story – up 4.6 per cent year on year as shoppers visit Tesco more often. Lidl and Aldi enjoyed strong performances during the past three months. Growth for Lidl accelerated to 2.7 per cent, with Aldi boosting sales by four per cent.

Lidl now has a 11.4 per cent share of the grocery market, with Aldi just behind with an 11.2 per cent stake. Both retailers have benefited from shoppers visiting them more often, with Lidl seeing almost one extra trip per shopper over the past 12 weeks.