Grocery Market Share Ireland - Shopping More, Spending Less

Grocery staples are becoming more expensive and the average shopper has less to spend on them.

The latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland for the 12 weeks ending 2 September 2012 show the average shopping trip in Ireland is now €21.30, the lowest level since 2005, as shoppers tighten their belts in anticipation of the December budget.

The market has fallen by 0.6% during the past year and price inflation is currently running at 2.3%; this means that grocery staples are becoming more expensive and the average shopper has less to spend on them.

David Berry, commercial director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “As speculation around the December budget increases shoppers are looking to tighten their grip on household spending. As a result the size of the average shopping basket is at its lowest level for seven years, dropping from an average of €22.50 last year to €21.30. Shoppers are reducing their spending by adopting a ‘little and often’ approach to shopping trips, which is helping them to limit wastage as they only buy what they need when then need it.”

Tesco and SuperValu have both posted moderate sales growth of 2.4% and 0.4% this month. However, Aldi remains the standout performer with sales growth of over 28%, lifting its share of the market from 4.5% to 5.9%. Aldi is also the only retailer to see an increase in both the number of shoppers in through the doors, having attracted an additional 98,000 to the store this year, and also the amount each shopper spends in store.

An update on inflation

Grocery inflation stands at 2.3%* for the 12 week period ending 2 September 2012, up from 2.1% in the previous period but significantly below the 4.4% seen in August 2011.

*This figure is based on over 30,000 identical products compared year-on-year in the proportions purchased by Irish 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.

Read the previous report here.