Tesco takes back top spot as store wars heat up

The Irish supermarket seesaw has shifted again and Tesco has reclaimed its position as the Republic's leading retailer, having lost out to SuperValu just two months ago.

The British retailing giant now commands 25 .2 per cent of the Irish supermarkets compared spend compared to the 24.8 per cent share enjoyed by Supervalu.

Despite making headlines for the wrong reasons, with strikes and protests dominating the Dunnes Stores story in recent months, that retail chain has also reported strong growth over the last 12 months and has copperfastened its third place position, according to the latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel covering the 12-week period up to the end of May.

The new figures also show the dramatic rates of growth recorded by the German discounters Aldi and Lidl have continued to slow although both posted growth rates which the leader supermarket chains could only dream about.

“Tesco has reclaimed the top-spot capturing 25.2 per cent of the grocery market, but the retailer is still seeing sales decline as their performance remains behind the market,” said Georgina Harrington, insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.

She pointed out that it had a market share of 26.3 per cent over the same period last year but added that the retailer’s “value initiatives online and in-store have helped boost the number of visits to its stores by 1.4 per cent”.

While Supervalu held the top spot for just one month, the battle for dominance will continue over the summer months – a traditionally strong season for SuperValu.

Its share of the market is consistent compared to a year ago and its sales also grew by 1.2 per cent. SuperValu is the only retailer among the big three to consistently win new shoppers. Its initiatives such as ‘Good Food Karma’ have had a positive impact for the retailer and helped it attract over 12,000 new customers this period.

Dunnes posted the strongest sales growth among the big three retailers at 4.1 per cent, bringing its share to 21.9 per cent. It is its sixth consecutive month of growth.

Aldi and Lidl grew sales by 8 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively. The German discounters now hold a combined share of 17 per cent. Both retailers have seen their growth slow over the past few months, but remain in a strong position given the overall market growth of 1.2 per cent.

Aldi continues to win shoppers with its ‘As Irish as’ campaign, with an impressive 43,000 additional shoppers this period. Lidl also benefits from a shopper boost, with the average shopper increasing their spend by €8 over the period, in part down to its recent voucher activity.