DUNNES STORES HAS retained its position as Ireland’s most popular supermarket, while Tesco follows closely behind in second place.

The latest Kantar Worldpanel supermarket shares show that Dunnes Stores accounted for 22.3% of the consumer spend over the course of 12 weeks to 19 May 2019, making it the country’s most popular supermarket. 

Tesco, meanwhile, is in a close second spot, accounting for 22.1% of total grocery sales. 

SuperValu came in third position with 21.2% of the market share.

Budget retailers Lidl and Aldi’s combined share reached 23.6% (a total of 11.5% and 12.1% respectively), meaning that they came out larger than any individual retailer for a third period in a row. 

“The strength of Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl – retailers at opposite ends of the price spectrum – is a surprising quirk of the Irish grocery market,” Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said. 

“Dunnes has showed little interest in going head-to-head with Aldi and Lidl on price, instead preferring to carve out its position as Ireland’s premium food retailer through smart acquisitions and partnerships with upmarket brands such as Sheridans Cheesemongers and James Whelan Butchers,” Faughnan said.

“At the same time, it is making a clear attempt to prevent losing price-conscious shoppers through its Everyday Savers range.”

Kantar Worldpanel Kantar Worldpanel

Meanwhile, both Aldi and Lidl are continuing to capture the market share through competitive price initiatives like Aldi’s Super 6 and Lidl’s Super Savers, according to Kantar. 

While value is still central to both retailers, the premium tier has become more of a focus, it noted.

“As Aldi and Lidl have grown, they have placed an increased emphasis on their premium own label and branded ranges.  This is a clear attempt to capture more spend from those shoppers who, while seeking value, are also prepared to splash out on certain occasions,” Faughnan said.

“While on the surface Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl have different appeals, they are all targeting the same shoppers and tailoring ranges to reflect that.”