THE COST of the weekly shop is continuing to rise – but at a slightly slower rate than it had done in the first few months of the year.
Figures compiled by Kantar Worldpanel show that the average price of groceries rose by 4.8 per cent in the twelve months up to June 2013 – the first time in half a year that prices had risen by below 5 per cent.
However, the figures confirm that the cost of groceries is rising far beyond the general rate of inflation – meaning shoppers are being slowly squeezed as their money buys less and less.
Kantar Worldpanel commercial director David Berry said the falling increase was “a welcome sign for shoppers that months of rapid increases may be coming to an end.”
The figures are compiled based on the prices of 30,000 products, priced on June 9 this year and compared to a year previously.
The data also shows that the discount chains Lidl and Aldi are continuing to eat into the market share of other major supermarket chains.
Lidl now accounts for 7.1 per cent of all trips to supermarkets – up from 6.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year – while Aldi’s share has grown from 5.3 per cent to 6.7 per cent.
Their gains come at the expense of the larger chains, Tesco and Dunnes Stores, who both see their share fall.
Tesco remains the most popular supermarket retailer, with 27.7 per cent of the market, down from 28.6 per cent in the first three months of the year. Dunnes, meanwhile, went from 22.4 per cent to 21.9 per cent.
SuperValu’s share was unchanged at 19.7 per cent, while Superquinn retained its 5.5 per cent share.
Other outlets also suffered at the hands of Aldi and Lidl, shrinking from 11.9 per cent to 11.5 per cent.
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