Updated at 10.50pm
TESCO HAS GROWN its sales in Ireland for the first time in two years.
The supermarket’s sales for the 12 weeks to 13 September show a 0.3% growth, the first time the company hasn’t fallen since March 2013.
The latest Kantar Worldpanel figures, which track market share and sales, show that Tesco remains the largest chain in the country, 0.5% ahead of Supervalu.
Georgieann Harrington, insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, says that Tesco’s performance is down to back to school shoppers.
“Making the most of the back to school season, the grocer has seen its spend from families with children – a heartland for the retailer – increase by 4%.
A modest increase in shopper numbers overall has certainly played a part in Tesco’s recovery, and its customers are also buying more products per shop in the latest period, helping to boost the retailer’s performance.
Meanwhile, discount retailer Lidl posted the strongest sales for the past 12 weeks, growing well ahead of the market with an increase of 9.5%. It was closely followed by Dunnes, which grew sales by 5.2%. Dunnes shopper numbers have actually dropped from where they were, but shoppers are buying more.
The retailer continues to gain sales in shopping trips worth over €100 and has benefitted from customers buying more items, with volume sales increasing by 5%
SuperValu’s growth continues at a slower pace, but the retailer maintains second position, capturing 24.3% of market share. The number of visits to its stores increased by 5% this period, with shoppers spending €16 more on average than they did last year.
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