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DUNNES STORES IS Ireland’s most popular supermarket, according to figures released today.
The retailer controlled 22.1% of the market in the 12 weeks to 16 June, the latest Kantar report shows.
The Irish grocery market grew by 4.6% during the same period, despite poor weather affecting sales of certain items.
Dunnes enjoyed sales growth of 7.2%, helping to boost its market share year on year – which was 21.6% during the same period in 2018.
Tesco came in a close second this time around, with 22% of the market share; SuperValu had 21.1%; Aldi had 12.3% and Lidl had 11.7%.
Aldi enjoyed the largest sales increase, with a 13.3% jump.
Impact of bad weather
Sales of ice cream and sun care products significantly declined compared to last year – down 9.2% and 38% respectively – due to the poor weather.
Drinks sales also experienced a slowdown. While cider was a particularly popular choice this time last year, its current growth of 0.1% is considerably lower than the 14% experienced last summer.
Douglas Faughnan, Consumer Insight Director at Kantar, said Dunnes’ growth of 7.2% is underpinned by a substantial increase in spend per buyer.
The average Dunnes shopper spent almost €20 more this period compared with the same time last year through a combination of higher prices, bigger trolleys and more frequent trips – shoppers on average bought an additional six items from Dunnes this period.
The average Tesco customer made one additional trip to the retailer in the most recent 12 weeks compared with last year, contributing to growth of 3%.
However, while there has been an increase in how often shoppers visit, this has been tempered by them spending 80 cents less each time.
Aldi now accounts for 12.3% of overall grocery sales in Ireland, with Faughnan noting: “In particular, sales of biscuits grew by 20%, chocolate confectionery by 50%, and morning goods like croissants were up 23%.”
He said Lidl’s 11.7% share of the market “has been underpinned by strong performance in Munster, which now accounts for 26.1% of the retailer’s overall sales”, adding: “However, Dublin remains Lidl’s heartland and is responsible for almost a third of its sales.”
Lidl’s growth was aided by bakery sales increasing by 15% year on year, predominantly driven by an 18.2% increase in bread sales.
Growth of 1.9% for SuperValu was the highest rate the retailer has seen since August 2018.
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Considering how Dunnes treat their staff I don’t understand why people still shop there.
@John Killeen: there all the same as each other but dunnes is by far the cheapest for fresh food and best quality
@John Killeen:
Price.
(And €10 when you spend €50 vouchers)
@colm connolly: personally, I find Lidl to have the best quality veg. Just my opinion though.
@John Killeen: €10 off €50 spend,€20 off a €100 is a pretty good incentive.And quality is very good.Plenty of helpful staff around the place always.AND I or none of my family work in Dunnes.We just like shopping there.Great value.
@Billy McNamara: that €100 you spend in dunnes would probably cost around €60 in aldi or lidl
@Thomas Maher: meat and veg in Aldi or Lidl just doesn’t compare. There’s a reason they can sell it for so cheap, and it’s not because the other players are simply fleecing customers. Quality of meat/veg in Aldi and Lidl is sub-par.
@Thomas Maher: a lot less choice in Aldi or Lidl if you’re into cooking. Dunnes probably comes in on a par with the others if you have vouchers. Otherwise it’s probably about 20% more expensive.
@John Killeen: what? I know many people that have worked there for 10+ years. It’s a good place to work. Compared to many others anyways
@Thomas Maher: you can’t compromise on quality, sure dunnes is not the best quality but it’s the best of the supermarkets, its fresh it’s cheap & its organic section is far better than anywhere else
fresh fruit & veg in Tesco is distributing in its touch and feel and is generally horrible
Lidl & aldi is okay but some of the stuff has massive best before dates which should worry people
supervalu has a decent veg section but its massively overpriced and if I go there after 5 in the evening to get a lemon or a box of mushrooms there either gone or not edible
The problem I’m seeing in supermarkets is there plowing money into the store to look fresh & light which will drive the prices up , how about just cleaning the place & not worry if the fridge is the wrong colour for there branding
Good news as it and supervalu are the only Irish ones. Every other supermarkets profits are shipped abroad.
@Sean Murphy: Lidl profits stay in Ireland
Do they? How? It’s a subsidy of a German company
@Sean Murphy: Supervalu is very expensive.
@Ed: yeah it’s a luxury supermarket
Actually quite surprised by this cos Dunnes is a rip off compared to others
It is important for the survival of small town and suburban family-owned shops that people don’t do all their weekend shopping at giant supermarkets. Residents of villages, small towns and suburbs should try to purchase basic foodstuff, meat and fish at their local places. Support local business or let your town die.
@Garreth Byrne:
Price.
@Patrick Nolan: The price for being lured by lower prices offered in giant supermarkets is the death of towns, villages and suburbs. Community integrity is worth more than money.
@Garreth Byrne: better use the savings from Lidl and Aldi to fund your kids education than the profit of SuperValu and Dunnes funding their kids at your expense I say.
@Fred Speech:
Very well put.
I have no intention of subsidizing any shop that can’t compete, local or not.
Turn them into residential units, at least they are needed.
@Garreth Byrne: The future of retail is online…..Recently I went to a Hardware Shop that has 3 local outlets and employs almost 200 people , I purchased 2 x 14w LED Bulbs , a 5 Metre Length of 115mm Sand Paper and 500 ml of Sugar Soap for the sum of over 43 Euro , I went home and checked Amazon and purchased the exact same items for 19.50 Sterling Delivered in 2 days , I returned the items to locally owned Hardware as the price was too much , I just checked my Amazon a/c and so far this I have had 102 Orders . :Last year I had 93 Orders on Amazon , So I will do double this year to 200 , Maybe 300 orders next year , The future of retail is online for sure.
@Garreth Byrne: well said
@Midland Celt: The future of civil society is not online. Regular neighbourly interaction on the streets, in schools, in shops, in public parks, in local halls & pubs is the essence of meaningful human relations. Virtual reality is an illusionary society.
@Midland Celt: Have you ever had a girlfriend?
@Midland Celt: NO doubt true, but you do know that Amazon have a very bad reputation in terms of paying decent wages to their staff? That may have something to do with the cost…..
@Midland Celt: key issue is you had to wait 2 days. You also weren’t able to see or feel the products except for the fact you went to the shop! That’s why retail will never die. You also wasted all of the time in going to the shops and then had to wait.
@Garreth Byrne: totally agreed. I was driving down the motorway today to the west and as I was coming towards the kinnegad exist when I got a craving for a 99 cone lol. Anyways I drove through the town of kinnegad and not one shop or newsagent to be seen. All closed down. I had to go to the supremacs outlet outside the town to get my beloved cone. It is sad really but I guess that is the times we live in
@Garreth Byrne:
100% right.
I gave up supermarkets for fresh produce.
It’s over packed and quantities too large for me so I ended up dumping.
I am very lucky to have a butcher, fish monger, bakery, veggie shop, and more all in the one block on Cabra rd.
Best quality and I can get whatever quantity!
Long may it last
@Garreth Byrne: so be it, I can’t afford to keep expensive small shops going when I have mouths to feed, it would be lovely to shop at expensive local shops but I can’t afford it sorry.
Tesco is nearly all self service now. You’d wonder how Lidl and Aldi manage to pay real people to serve you and still keep their prices significantly lower.
@Benny McHale: Tesco squeeze their suppliers. Look at all the jobs lost in UK recently when they pulled the plug on Kerry Foods
@Benny McHale: Lidl and Aldi can run on skeleton staff. You’ll rarely see more than 10 working in their stores. They only operate one checkout full time.
@Anthony: And their staff work bloody hard.
All these people must have money to burn. No value for money in Dunnes, SuperValu and Tesco only slightly better but still very expensive.
Would seriously question those figures, or how they were obtained. Logic suggests that’s not the case considering Dunnes prices don’t come close to Aldi, Lidl or Tesco.
@John Travers: every one of those supermarkets are in my town and Dunnes are nowhere near as big as any of the others from what I can tell. It’s always the quietest of them. Baffling.
@John Travers: Your right there a lot lower. Spend a hundred in dunnes and get 20 euros back. Tesco is shockingly terrible I’ll leave it there so
Aldi and Lidl seem by far the most busiest when I’m I them compared to the other expensive super markets.
Have you seen the state of Tesco’s stores. There’s never the things you need. The stores are tired and dated. And there butchers food is shocking. Come if you can’t even get a pk of mince meat right what hope do you have.
Shop at Dunnes, but it is dear even though the quality is good. Think the food from Aldi and Lidl is crap. Don’t like SuperValu or Tesco either.
@Richard Carroll: the 5/10 euros off with the receipt is what keeps me going back to dunnes.
Doesn’t the pole show Tesco as top dog
Does that include their clothing section?
I shop in Dunnes but only out of convenience. It’s not as good value as Lidl or Aldi but it’s a lot closer to where I live and I don’t have a car, hence why I begrudgingly shop there. Tesco is even better value than Dunnes.
So exciting … isn’t it !
Lidl Abu
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