SuperValu has retained market leadership position as Christmas approaches, according to the latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, however the gap between the top three continues to narrow.
Data for the 12 week period to 6 December has SuperValu on 24.7%, followed by Tesco on 24.1% and Dunnes Stores on 23.8%, meaning there is now less than a percentage point between the top three grocers in the country.
“It hasn’t all been plain sailing for SuperValu – over the past six months the retailer has seen falling shopper numbers, but in the past 12 weeks it has managed to get that issue under control," said Kantar Worldpanel director David Berry.
"This has allowed SuperValu to strengthen its position at the top, posting impressive sales growth of 3.7% and increasing its share of the grocery market to 24.7%. Alongside a strong performance in its traditional heartland – fruit and vegetables – the grocer also posted excellent sales in confectionery, crisps and snacks and soft drinks during the past quarter."
On Tesco, Berry noted that the retailer has seen "growth in the number of items shoppers are picking up on each trip", while Dunnes continues to reap the benefits of its Shop & Save campaign.
Elsewhere, Lidl, which holds 8.5% share, continues to post the strongest growth, 'with sales increasing by 10.6% as 37,000 more shoppers visited the retailer compared with the same time last year', said Kantar.
Rival discounter Aldi holds 8.4% share, and posted a 2.6% rise in sales since the same period last year.
“While the big Christmas shop has yet to take place, there are signs that shoppers may have begun their preparations for the festive season earlier this year," Berry added.
"Confectionery, crisps and snacks have all seen double digit growth in shopper spend when compared with last year, helping to increase overall grocery sales by 2.5%. Such strong growth is an early indicator that Ireland’s retailers could be in for a bumper Christmas, and we’re sure to see grocers competing eagerly for the biggest slice of festive sales.”
Commenting on SuperValu's performance, Martin Kelleher, SuperValu managing director, said that the group was increasingly able to “differentiate ourselves from the competition with unique selling points like having butchers in every store to provide expert advice, providing locally produced Food Academy products and an unrivalled level of customer service.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
