DUNNES STORES IS Ireland’s most popular supermarket, according to figures released today.
The retailer controlled 22.1% of the market in the 12 weeks to 16 June, the latest Kantar report shows.
The Irish grocery market grew by 4.6% during the same period, despite poor weather affecting sales of certain items.
Dunnes enjoyed sales growth of 7.2%, helping to boost its market share year on year – which was 21.6% during the same period in 2018.
Tesco came in a close second this time around, with 22% of the market share; SuperValu had 21.1%; Aldi had 12.3% and Lidl had 11.7%.
Aldi enjoyed the largest sales increase, with a 13.3% jump.
Impact of bad weather
Sales of ice cream and sun care products significantly declined compared to last year – down 9.2% and 38% respectively – due to the poor weather.
Drinks sales also experienced a slowdown. While cider was a particularly popular choice this time last year, its current growth of 0.1% is considerably lower than the 14% experienced last summer.
Douglas Faughnan, Consumer Insight Director at Kantar, said Dunnes’ growth of 7.2% is underpinned by a substantial increase in spend per buyer.
The average Dunnes shopper spent almost €20 more this period compared with the same time last year through a combination of higher prices, bigger trolleys and more frequent trips – shoppers on average bought an additional six items from Dunnes this period.
The average Tesco customer made one additional trip to the retailer in the most recent 12 weeks compared with last year, contributing to growth of 3%.
However, while there has been an increase in how often shoppers visit, this has been tempered by them spending 80 cents less each time.
Aldi now accounts for 12.3% of overall grocery sales in Ireland, with Faughnan noting: “In particular, sales of biscuits grew by 20%, chocolate confectionery by 50%, and morning goods like croissants were up 23%.”
He said Lidl’s 11.7% share of the market “has been underpinned by strong performance in Munster, which now accounts for 26.1% of the retailer’s overall sales”, adding: “However, Dublin remains Lidl’s heartland and is responsible for almost a third of its sales.”
Lidl’s growth was aided by bakery sales increasing by 15% year on year, predominantly driven by an 18.2% increase in bread sales.
Growth of 1.9% for SuperValu was the highest rate the retailer has seen since August 2018.
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