Dunnes reclaims top spot in Irish grocery market

Tesco is the only one of the top five not to lose shoppers this year, and customers have been tempted in by lower prices

The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending 5 November 2017, reveal that Dunnes Stores has returned to the top spot for the first time in nine months, capturing a 22.4% share of the market.

David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, comments: “Dunnes Stores traditionally posts a strong performance towards the end of the year and 2017 is no exception. While growth of 1.4% compared to this time last year is slightly behind the market average, shoppers have spent almost €2 more per trip this period, which has been enough for the retailer to edge ahead of the competition.”

SuperValu is in the second spot with a 22.0% share of the market – in line with last month – though larger basket sizes have contributed to a sales improvement of 0.5%.

The strongest growth this month has come from Tesco, as David Berry explains: “Tesco’s sales are 5.1% higher than they were this time last year, which has lifted its share of the market from 21.3% in 2016 to 21.9% today. The retailer is the only one of the top five not to lose shoppers this year, and customers have been tempted in by lower prices. On average, consumers have paid 2% less than this time last year and in turn this has contributed to shoppers making bigger trips and returning to store more often.”

Meanwhile, Aldi and Lidl have both continued to see sales grow ahead of the market – up 2.9% and 3.8% respectively. Unusually, Lidl has performed well in branded goods, particularly in the alcohol, biscuits and confectionery aisles as shoppers gear up for the festive season.

However, it wasn’t just Christmas that consumers were stockpiling for this period, as David Berry explains: “Storm Ophelia – which hit on the 16 October – had a surprisingly strong effect on the Irish grocery market. The week before Ophelia landed supermarkets were buoyed by a spike in sales as shoppers battened down the hatches in preparation for the course of the storm. Munster in particular saw an uplift in sales, with growth reaching 12% during that week.”