Lidl Outspends Retail Rivals In Run Up To Christmas

By Publications Checkout
Lidl Outspends Retail Rivals In Run Up To Christmas

Lidl was the biggest spender on advertising in December, increasing its spend by 60% compared to the same month in 2012, according to the latest Nielsen Christmas Review.

Lidl increased its press spend by 57% and its TV spend by 60%, to claim the highest share of voice in the period, ahead of Tesco, which increased its spend by 23% year-on-year (Press +10%, TV +77%).

Dunnes had the third highest share of voice, despite decreasing its spend slightly (-2%) since last year, followed by Aldi (-5%) and SuperValu (+33%).

Overall, supermarkets increased their press spend by 17.6% year-on-year, and TV spend by 23.1%. Press spend was twice as big as TV spend in the period.

While total media spend was actually down -4.2%, and FMCG manufacturer media spend was down -6.0%, supermarket ad spend was up 18%, reflective of the competitive nature of the marketplace.

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The study also looked at category performance and indicated a mixed performance among seasonal categories, with Greetings Cards (+10%) and Chocolate & Sweets (+1.4%) showing growth, while Toys (-14%) and Champagne (-20%) displayed lower value sales. There was a switch from fresh to frozen poultry, with Frozen Poultry sales rising 123%, while Fresh Poultry sales fell by 18%.

Notably, the study also looked at the impact that the 'veg wars' in the run up to Christmas had on fresh produce sales, with value sales of Vegetables down -32% in the period. Some categories were more affected than others: Brussels Sprouts fell by -53.8%, Potatoes were down -35.7%, Carrots were down -30% and Onions were down -15.6%.

© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones

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