Dunnes in lead as grocery market grows to €8.13bn
Dunnes Stores has reclaimed top slot with the largest slice of the €2.44bn spent on groceries in all supermarkets in Ireland in the latest 12-week period.
Its €1 promotion helped it win back business to secure a 22.1% share for the first time in eight months, pushing Tesco into second place, on a share of 21.5% in the 12 weeks to October 7, according to the research of 5,000 households by Kantar Worldpanel Ireland.
Supermarkets fight for sales and closely watch their rivals because every basis point rise or fall in market share represents millions in takings in a market which year-to-date was worth almost €8.13bn, up 2.8% from a year earlier.
Grocers have battled deflation: Prices fell slightly, by 0.12%, in the latest period from a year earlier, Kantar figures show.
On 11.8%, Aldi overtook direct rival Lidl, for Ireland’s fourth-largest grocer by sales.
The German discounters’ combined shares account for 23.5% of the market, equivalent to the largest grocer.
On Dunnes, Kantar said: “While it is too soon to assess the full impact of its new ‘everyday savers’ offer, which prices many own- brand everyday items at €1 or less, Dunnes’ continued focus on shopper campaigns has helped to attract an extra 14,000 shoppers this period.”
SuperValu, with a share of 21.4%, is close behind Tesco but lost ground from a year earlier. Its owner Musgrave recently bought Donnybrook Fair in Dublin.
“Although SuperValu holds a 26% share in its Munster heartland, the retailer is less represented in Dublin, where it only accounts for 19.4% of sales.
Musgrave will be hoping its latest acquisition can help SuperValu make up ground in this area,” Kantar said.
