Ireland's top retailer grows for first time since 2013

The latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending 13 September, show a year-on-year growth in sales of 1.8% across the Irish grocery market. The market has now grown consecutively for eighteen months, the longest period of sustained growth since October 2013. In the latest period, Tesco – Ireland’s biggest supermarket – has returned to growth for the first time since March 2013.

Georgieann Harrington, insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains: “After an unprecedented period of decline, Tesco has posted growth of 0.3%. This is the first time sales have increased for the retailer since early 2013. Making the most of the back to school season, the grocer has seen its spend from families with children – a heartland for the retailer – increase by 4%. A modest increase in shopper numbers overall has certainly played a part in Tesco’s recovery, and its customers are also buying more products per shop in the latest period, helping to boost the retailer’s performance.”

Meanwhile, discount retailer Lidl posted the strongest sales for the past 12 weeks, growing well ahead of the market with an increase of 9.5%. It was closely followed by Dunnes, which grew sales by 5.2%.

Georgieann Harrington continues: “Getting shoppers through the doors continues to be the biggest driver of growth for Lidl, with 40,000 new customers visiting the retailer this year. Lidl has utilised clever marketing campaigns like ‘Stikeez’ to encourage customers to spend more per visit, with the average spend increasing by 5% to €22.84.

“Dunnes’ strong performance continues – shoppers now spend almost €50 more than they did last year, thanks largely to the ‘Shop & Save’ campaign. The retailer continues to gain share in shopping trips worth over €100 and has benefitted from customers buying more items, with volume sales increasing by 5%. However, Dunnes has actually seen a drop in shopper numbers, with around 70,000 leaving its stores in the latest period.”

Aldi’s growth of 3.6% is ahead of the market, with the retailer improving its share by 0.2 percentage points to 8.7%. Like Dunnes, Aldi has seen the number of customers entering its stores fall this period, but nevertheless continues to grow its sales. The retailer has also seen the average shopper spend increase by 6% to €170.

SuperValu’s growth continues at a slower pace, but the retailer maintains second position, capturing 24.3% of market share. The number of visits to its stores increased by 5% this period, with shoppers spending €16 more on average than they did last year.

The grocery market inflation stands at 1.8%† for the 12 week period ending 13th September 2015, up from 1.3% last period.

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