Supermarket war leads to lower prices this Christmas

The latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel show that competitive pricing among the State’s largest retailers in the run up to Christmas has seen grocery price of inflation fall to 1.9 per cent.

Tesco remains Ireland's largest supermarket with a 25 per cent share. It is closely followed by SuperValu on 24.5 per cent while Dunnes is in third place on 23.5 per cent. Both

Aldi and Lidl continue to post impressive sales figures, with this trend looking likely to continue throughout the festive period.

"In a bid to emerge victorious over the all-important Christmas period, competitive pricing among the retailers has led to inflation dropping," said David Berry, commercial director at Kantar Worldpanel. "Shoppers are reaping the benefits, with staple items such as vegetables, eggs and bread costing less this year compared with last - meaning savings on Christmas dinner purchases."

Despite a 3 per cent dip in sales, Tesco remains Ireland’s leading supermarket, benefiting from a slight increase in footfall to their stores of 18,000 shoppers.

The challenge now facing the retailer is encouraging shoppers to buy more at the tills.

SuperValu has experienced a slight up lift in sales thanks to expanding its customer base by 42,000, the majority drawn from its strong base in provinces like Munster and Connacht. For only the second time since returning to growth in May, Dunnes Stores has experienced a drop in sales, with the retailer's market share standing at 23.5 per cent.

The figures also highlights a continued strong performance from Aldi and Lidl, as the two reach a combined market share record of 16.2 per cent.

Lidl and Aldi continue to post impressive sales, reporting growth of 16.6% and 13.1% respectively. “Lidl and Aldi have each enjoyed strong sales growth throughout 2014. It seems likely that they will maintain this streak over the festive period, which will top off what has been a stellar year for the German retailers,” Mr Berry said.