A complete overview of the Symbol Sector in Northern Ireland
When it comes the Northern Irish grocery market, the traditional heavyweights might still hold sway with consumers, but the Symbol Sector here continues to attract a core base of loyal customers.
Part of a large network made up of back up and support crews, the symbol sector serves millions of customers across the region with the backing of Northern Ireland’s leading food retail and wholesale companies.
The symbol sector here is unique, with a precious place on the fabric of every community, both urban and rural, which has evolved over the past 50 years to the extent that a town, village or city without its symbol is simply unimaginable.
Consumers like names they can trust, and symbol groups are the perfect combination of local faces with trusted brands, thus encouraging return trade and a relationship between shopper and store.
The latest figures from Worldpanel by Numerator show that take-home grocery sales rose by 2.2% in Northern Ireland last year to 25th January 2026, while grocery inflation currently stands at 7.03%, up from 6.20% the previous month.
Shoppers are savvy and continue to look for ways to manage household bills and as part of this, they are returning to store more often, picking up less each time.
What they are choosing to buy is also important, with branded goods continuing to perform well, with spending up £72.3 million, a 3% year-on-year increase, lifting their value share to 55% as shoppers turned to brands they know and trust.
Own-label ranges also grew, up 0.9%, with an extra £16 million spent, taking their share to 42.7% of the market by value. Premium own-label stood out in particular, rising by 11.4% as shoppers spent an additional £16.6 million on these ranges.
Additionally, promotions played a bigger role than ever, with discounted items now accounting for 26.4% of value sales, a new record in Northern Ireland and an uplift of 3.9 percentage points versus last year.
Convenience is key and is becoming the cornerstone of everyday life. Gone are the corner shops of yesteryear. It’s all about the customer experience – and symbol stores have taken that concept to heart – by making the efficiency and ease of shopping at the core.
The symbol sector has actively capitalised on making the ‘shopper experience’ at the centre of their business ethos – smart, stylish, well lit, clean, clear labelling – with value for money being the driving force – this savvy sense of driving the sector forward has its roots in research, category management, and sound business sense.
At the cutting edge of change, the symbol sector is creating great shopping experiences for customers – with independent retailers in the optimum position of being able to offer a personal approach, with their stores at the heart of many communities, store owners and their staff know their customers personally, are able to communicate and connect on a level which in turn ensures loyalty and support for what they do, alongside the essential services and facilities they are known for.
