SuperValu regains top slot in supermarket league ahead of Tesco

SuperValu commanded the largest individual share of the Republic's grocery market in April ahead of fast-growing Tesco with Dunnes relegated to third spot, while discounters Aldi and Lidl jointly accounted for nearly a quarter of sales.

According to the latest Irish supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, the value of SuperValu’s sales grew by 0.8 per cent over the 12-week period to April 22nd with sales in Dublin growing by 4.5 per cent.

This helped the Musgrave-owned retailer achieve pole position with 22.3 per cent share of the Irish market.

This was 0.1 per cent ahead of fast-growing Tesco, which saw sales grow by over 6 per cent, almost twice the market average, and by 7.4 per cent in the capital.

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The UK retailer recently reported a 28 per cent jump in annual profit, underlining chief executive Dave Lewis’s recovery strategy of lower prices and streamlined product range.

Discounters

Dunnes followed in third with a 21.9 per cent market share but in contrast to the other two multiples Dunnes's share of the Dublin market declined. However, this was offset by share growth in Connacht and Ulster.

Lidl and Aldi were the second and third fastest growing retailers this period, with sales up 4.2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Together the discounters now command 22.5 per cent of the Irish grocery market.

Lidl's growth was predominantly driven by its sales in Leinster, excluding Dublin, whereas Aldi experienced a strong 12 weeks in Munster, Connacht and Ulster.

Overall, the Irish market registered a 3.1 per cent jump in sales on last year. Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: "Over the past 12 months Irish households have consolidated their spend, relying more heavily on their preferred retailer.

Increased shopper numbers

“This effectively means that most of the grocers were seeing fewer shoppers through their doors,” he said.

“However, this period marks a notable turnaround with Tesco, SuperValu, Aldi and Lidl all attracting more shoppers than they did a year ago.”

“A 3.1 per cent increase in the number of shoppers visiting Tesco generated additional revenue of €13 million and contributed significantly to the retailer’s overall performance. Although increased shopper numbers driving growth for the other retailers was less significant, it does mark a reversal in recent shopper behaviour.”

He also noted that frozen food sales proved a lucrative source of revenue for the traditional retailers with sales of frozen products outpacing those off fresh, chilled and ambient food at Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes.