Two Directions

Premium ranges prepare for Christmas and yet another Aldi record share

The latest grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks ending 10 November 2013, show another all-time record share of 3.9% for Aldi as its consistent rise continues unabated. At the same time, the relaunched Tesco Finest range is surging ahead with 16% year-on-year growth and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference lifts sales by 12%.

Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, comments: “The number of shoppers visiting Aldi has grown by 16% year-on-year at the same time as the average basket size has swelled by nearly 15%. In fact, almost a third of British households have shopped in Aldi in the past 12 weeks. Although in the shadow of Aldi’s performance, Lidl’s sales growth of 13.8% also remains strong. In direct contrast, sales of premium products have also increased significantly over the past year. This Christmas shoppers will be seeking both luxury and lower prices.”

Elsewhere, all the big four and The Co-operative have lost share this period. Sainsbury’s growth of 2.6% is the highest of this group but dips just below the market average of 3.2%. Morrisons year-on-year sales growth continues to be positive after the declines seen at the start of the year.

Edward continues: “Waitrose continues to shrug off the market turmoil as it sees its share increase yet again – an unbroken trend since mid-2009.”

An update on inflation

Grocery inflation stands at 3.7%* for the 12 week period ending 10 November 2013. This exceeds the overall grocery market growth of 3.2% and implies pressure on households to manage down their ‘personal inflation’ by seeking lower prices.

*This figure is based on over 75,000 identical products compared year-on-year in the proportions purchased by British shoppers and therefore represents the most authoritative figure currently available. It is a ‘pure’ inflation measure in that shopping behaviour is held constant between the two comparison periods – shoppers are likely to achieve a lower personal inflation rate if they trade down or seek out more offers.

The figures referenced in this news story relate to data as published at the time. Kantar Worldpanel data is periodically reworked to reflect improved methodology. This may result in some minor restatement of historical grocer shares.