Grocery Market Share Ireland - Shop More, Spend Less: Ireland’s Changing Shopping Behaviour

The latest grocery market figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending 19 February 2012, show growth remains low at just 0.3% - a subdued rate following a relatively strong Christmas trading period.

David Berry, commercial director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “The growth rate remains lower than grocery price inflation, currently at 2.3%, highlighting the ongoing pressure on household budgets. Shoppers are adopting a ‘little and often’ approach to their grocery shopping with the number of times we visit the shops rising by 6% but the amount we spend on each trip falling by an average €1.40 per trip. This allows shoppers to control their spending by only buying what they need when they need it.

“Tesco continues to post strong results, increasing its market share to 28.1% this period, up from 27.3% last year. Despite its challenges elsewhere, Tesco has outperformed the market this month. It’s now feeling the benefit of having extra stores, giving more shoppers a chance to go through its doors and as a result is leading the big three supermarkets.”

Aldi’s growth remains ahead of the competition, with sales increasing by 25% this year, lifting its share of the market to 4.5%. This growth has been achieved by a healthy combination of getting more people to shop and encouraging them to return more often.

Elsewhere, SuperValu and Dunnes perform in line with the market, with sales and market share both broadly stable.

An update on inflation

Grocery inflation is at 2.3% for the 12 weeks ending 19th February 2012.