The Northern Irish grocery market declined by 1.0% in the 52 weeks to 31 October 2021, reflecting people spending more time out of their homes as Covid restrictions eased.
Alcohol sales in supermarkets dropped by 4.1% as people socialised in pubs and restaurants. However, Halloween festivities boosted sales of confectionery by 5.4% over the latest period.
Looking at the past three months specifically, sales in the Northern Irish grocery market fell by 7.6% compared with the same time in 2020. Again, the impact of the return to schools and workplaces meant volume sales fell by 5.5% as people ate fewer meals in their homes and had less need to stock up their cupboards.
Looking at individual retailer performances, Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, said: “Lidl is the only retailer to achieve growth over the past 52 weeks, boosting its sales by a standout 9.2%. Its growth stems from shoppers visiting the store 12.9% more than they did last year.
“Tesco remains the nation’s largest grocer with a 35.7% share of the market. Its customers bought more products in store and the retailer grew its portion of the market by 0.3 percentage points. Sainsbury’s holds a 17.0% market share and its shoppers visited the supermarket more frequently than they did at any other retailer, contributing £80m to its overall performance.
“Asda gained 0.1 percentage points of share this period to hold 16.0% of the market. Shoppers made two additional trips to store on average, a trend which added £34.9m to its overall performance.”
NAM Implications:
- …and a stand-out achievement, up 25.4% vs 2019.
- Its growth stems from shoppers visiting the store 12.9% more than they did last year.
- Surely too important not to be part of, for all suppliers?
