Irish shoppers are set to spend over €1 billion on their Christmas groceries

Irish shoppers are set to spend over €1 billion on groceries throughout December for the first time as competition gets even fiercer between grocery retailers over the Christmas period.
According to research from Kantar World Panel, Irish households spent €968.2 million last December in supermarkets, and “all the signs so far indicate that this year Irish households will break the €1 billion threshold for the first time”

Overall the grocery market grew by 2.9% in the 12 weeks to 2 December according to Kantar’s latest figures. Dunnes Stores remains the largest grocery retailer, with a market share of 22.4% after seeing sales growth of 3.4% for the period. SuperValu’s sales rose by 1.3% over the same 12 weeks, cementing it in second place with 21.7% share of the market. Tesco is in third place with a 21.6% market share and growth of 0.3%, However, discount retailers Aldi and Lidl saw the strongest growth of all for the second consecutive period, with sales up 7% and 4.1% respectfully. Aldi now has 11.6% of the market, with Lidl on 11.3%. Aldi UK & Ireland Chief Executive Giles Hurley said the retailer is “delighted to be the fastest growing retailer in Ireland for the third month in a row,” adding Aldi has “opened new stores in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Graiguenamanagh, Youghal, and Killaloe over the last month.”

Consumer Insight Director at Kantar Worldpanel Douglas Faughnan said of the figures: “Promotions continue to play an important role among the traditional retailers as they try to attract new shoppers and encourage customers to spend more in store. “SuperValu has performed strongest here, with the average value of a trip to the retailer increasing by €1.56 to €24.20 this period. As preparations for Christmas accelerate during December that figure is only likely to rise. “However, Dunnes’ long-running voucher programme means shoppers spend significantly more on each trip there than at any other retailer. Dunnes’ average spend per trip of €42.60 is one of the main reasons the retailer has retained the number one spot this period.”