The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar for the period ending 12 July 2020 show that Irish shoppers spent an additional €577.7 million on groceries in the past three months.
However, slowing growth over the latest four weeks points to the start of a cautious return to normality.
People have turned to well-known favourites to provide their home comforts and an extra €345 million was spent on brands this period, with many Irish household names experiencing a sales boost.
Grocery sales through digital platforms soared by 123% year on year as an additional 75,000 shoppers purchased groceries online in the past 12 weeks.
Sun cream sales decline
Consumers preparing for a summer of holidaying at home in Ireland saw sales of sun cream decline by 66%, while people continuing to avoid pubs and restaurants meant alcohol sales grew by 76%.
Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, says “We are beginning to see some people cautiously return to pre-Covid habits. Grocery sales growth over the latest four weeks slowed to 17.8% as shoppers started to spend less on food for their fridge and more on eating and drinking out. But while some trends are reversing, it appears that others are here to stay.
“Shoppers are continuing to treat themselves at home, with sales of savoury snacks and confectionery up 45% and 35% respectively in the most recent 12 weeks.
Favourites
“In an uncertain time, people looked to tried and trusted favourites to provide their stay-at-home comforts. Brands outpaced own-label alternatives and an additional €345 million was spent on household names in the latest three months.
“Home grown Irish brands such as Barry’s Tea, Keelings, Kelkin and Keogh’s all experienced a sales boost as shoppers turned to much-loved classics.”
Aldi was the major beneficiary of the run on branded goods. Its branded sales increased by more than half which helped the retailer to grow by 20.9% year on year.
It was also a record-breaking few months for Lidl, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in Ireland over the latest period and marked it by recording its highest ever market share of 12.7%.
An additional 75,000 shoppers purchased groceries online over the past 12 weeks, contributing €38.9 million to this channel.
Deodorant sales
And as many attend fewer social gatherings, as well as continuing to work from home, deodorant sales are also down 15% compared with the same time last year.
Among the traditional big three Irish retailers, fast grower SuperValu claimed the biggest market share for the fourth month in a row and saw sales rise by 30.9%.
It remained the only major grocer not to experience reduced footfall in the latest 12 weeks.
Tesco’s typically larger stores allowed it to capitalise on bigger trolley shops and it grew by 20.7% to hold a 21.1% share of the market.
Highest spend
Building on its traditional strengths, Dunnes recorded the highest spend per buyer of all the grocers as shoppers parted with an additional €12.24 per trip on average and continued to increase their trip sizes.
The retailer recorded growth of 14.6% this period.