Take-home grocery sales grew by 25.4% during the past 12 weeks, the fastest rate of growth recorded in the past fifteen years, the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar for the period ending 17 May show.

However, some of these gains are offset by falling spend on on-the-go meals, drinks and snacks.

Online grocery sales were 76% higher than a year ago, and 15% of Irish households received at least one delivery over the latest 12 weeks.

Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, says “The jump in grocery sales over the most recent three-months in large part reflects the fact that it includes both the pre-lockdown surge in shopper spend and the eight weeks of stay-at-home advice from Government, bringing almost all meals into the home. 

“As lockdown continues, households with more mouths to feed at home have made their way through supplies and are now starting to top up depleted store cupboards.”

Shoppers are limiting their time spent out of home by making fewer, larger trips at local stores, visiting grocers two fewer times over the past 12 weeks than they did in this period last year. 

Families

Families with children under 16 pushed up their spend by 30% on average.”  

Fastest-growing retailer SuperValu claimed the largest market share for the second month in a row and saw sales rise by 32.7%. 

SuperValu’s locally-focused store estate helped it to benefit from people shopping closer to home and it welcomed 64,000 additional shoppers through its doors this period. 

Tesco also recorded formidable sales growth this month.  Its typically larger stores allowed it to capitalise on the increase in trolley shops and the grocer grew by 23.7% to hold 21.8% of the market.

Dunnes also gained from shoppers spending more in store, spending an extra €10.39 per trip compared with last year, and it recorded healthy growth of 18.0%.  

Online

This was slightly behind the market, linked partly to Dunnes not having a direct online grocery offer. 

Lidl benefited from its Dublin stronghold to boost sales by 30.5% and held its market share at 12.0%, while Aldi performed strongest in the south of the country, growing overall sales by 20.8% to hold an 11.7% share.  

Online grocery shopping and sales through digital platforms increased by 76% year on year. 

Emer Healy said the sudden surge in demand meant that retailers had to act quickly to increase their online capacity especially for groups who are more vulnerable in the current crisis.

An additional 26,000 retired households ordered an online delivery over the 12 weeks to 17 May and over 65s spent an extra €8.9 million online.”

Haircare

Sales of haircare products and hair colourants were up 25% and 73% in phase two of the lockdown.

Friday 1 May, a bank holiday weekend, saw an extra  €52.8 million in sales as consumers prepared for a weekend of sunshine. 

The holiday, coupled with a month of warm temperatures, meant that alcohol sales grew by a staggering 93% over the latest four weeks. 

Shoppers also spent an additional €3.8 million on sausages and burgers and ice cream sales were worth an extra €5.9 million.