Over the four weeks to 17^th March, grocery price inflation eased to 4.5%, its lowest level since February 2022, according to the latest Kantar data. However, despite this continued slowdown, many households are still feeling the squeeze.

Take-home grocery sales rose by 4.6% over the four weeks, with an early Easter boosting sales of seasonal treats in the first three months of 2024, by £88 million, compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, sales of branded goods pushed ahead of own label this month, while premium own-label lines saw growth of 16.1%, the quickest rate in almost three years.

As head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, Fraser McKevitt explains, consumers are still on the hunt for value.

“Among those feeling most pressured, 78% are actively buying cheaper groceries, while 68% are using promotions to help manage budgets,” said Fraser McKevitt.

“Retailers appear to be responding in kind, with the emphasis on discounts and price match schemes continuing this period. £605 million more was spent on deals this month than in March last year.”

With Easter on the horizon, Fraser added that a quarter of people have been picking up four or more items when buying chocolate eggs.

“This rises to 29% for shoppers aged over 65, suggesting that many grandparents are planning to indulge their families this weekend,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the supermarket share, year-on-year sales at Tesco and Sainsbury’s climbed by 5.8% and 6.7% respectively, their shares of the market nudged up by 0.4 percentage points each to 27.3% and 15.2%.

Lidl grew by 8.8% to capture a 7.8% share of the market, helped by a 24% rise in sales of baked goods and a 11% jump in fruit, vegetables and salads.

“Premium own-label lines have been a big beneficiary of consumers trading down, growing by a whopping 16.1% this month – the quickest rate we’ve seen in nearly three years,” added Fraser McKevitt.

“However, sales of branded goods pushed just ahead of own label overall, increasing sales by 6.1% and 4.7% respectively in the latest four weeks.”

The post Further ease in grocery price inflation but shoppers still feeling pressure first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Chocoholics across the country can indulge in Lidl Northern Ireland’s expanded range of Deluxe large and medium sized eggs, incorporating a mix of much-loved family favourites and some egg-citing new flavour options this Easter, starting from just £4.49.

Rebecca Buchanan, Senior Buyer at Lidl Ireland and Nothern Ireland said: “With hundreds of thousands of Easter eggs sold across our Northern Irish store network last year, we’re predicting shoppers will take an even bigger bite this year from our expanded range of premier Deluxe 100% Irish eggs.

“Easter is an important time for family celebration and our quality range of locally handcrafted Irish eggs are real family favourites. We’re excited to expand our range this year with some great new flavours and sizes, which we’re sure will go down a treat.

“With Easter just around the corner, we’re delighted to roll out our sumptuous full range of chocolate eggs in-store from this week. As Northern Ireland’s best value retailer, we’re confident shoppers can find the perfect celebration egg for their palette and enjoy premium luxury at value price this Easter.”

This Easter, shoppers can enjoy the indulgence of premium Deluxe chocolate with a taste of home as all of Lidl Northern Ireland’s Deluxe eggs have been handcrafted exclusively for the retailer by Cavan-based Áine’s Handmade Chocolates.

The chocolatier has been supplying Lidl Northern Ireland for the last four years and in that time has tripled its supply of Easter Eggs and continues to supply seasonal chocolates throughout the year as part of a wider supply deal valued at more than half a million euro.

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Located in the heart of the busy Boucher Road retail area, positioned to the front of the National Football Stadium and Olympia Leisure Centre, the new store will provide local residents and businesses in the south Belfast area, as well as visitors to the bustling retail destination, with access to Lidl’s established ‘Big on Quality, Lidl on Price’ brand proposition for the first time.

Lidl Northern Ireland’s newest state-of-the-art ‘concept’ store will add an extra 40 permanent jobs to its regional 1,300-strong workforce. Up to 120 temporary jobs will also be supported during the development phase with contractors Ganson UK breaking ground to develop the 2,288 sqm retail unit.

Positioned on derelict land at Windsor Way to the left of Olympia Leisure Centre, the refurbished site will also include an adjacent 148-space customer car park, complete with EV charging stations, redeveloping land in front of Olympia’s football pitches.

Planning permission for the new store – its 10th within the Greater Belfast area – was approved by Belfast City Council last year and will bring its total Northern Ireland store count to 43 by the end of 2024, now that construction work is also under way on the new £6.5 million store that will anchor Carryduff Shopping Centre.

Around 35 permanent jobs will be created in Carryduff when the store is completed later this year – on top of 120 construction jobs over the next six months.

The announcement marks a new drive for Lidl Northern Ireland in delivering on its ambitious plans to open 50 stores across the region by the end of the decade, whilst also investing in upgrading its existing store network.

Earlier this month, Lidl Northern Ireland announced it has submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger and modern retail outlets.

Lidl Northern Ireland Managing Director Ivan Ryan said: “We’re delighted to kick off 2024 with a number of key expansion projects and are quickly advancing our plans for our first store in south Belfast.

“This new store on Boucher Road will bring major investment to the locality and will create new jobs and bring real choice, quality and the best value to residents and visitors to this part of the city.”

Built to exacting standards, the new Lidl Northern Ireland store at Boucher Road will reflect the retailer’s established ‘concept’ design, which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency. A modern fit-out will provide high-quality shopping experience, with wide aisles, an in-store bakery, longer till points, enhanced restrooms and employee facilities.

Lidl Northern Ireland said that its new Carryduff store would boast similar features that include a 1,420 sq. metre sales floor and parking for more than 200 vehicles.

Established in 1999 when it opened its first store in Cookstown, Lidl Northern Ireland marks 25 years in the region this year. It now holds a 9.1% market share in Northern Ireland, and has seen the strongest growth amongst all retailers, up 21.3% year-on-year, according to retail information analysts Kantar.

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Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing grocery retailer confirmed it has submitted planning applications to position new stores at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon and adjacent to Bloomfield Shopping Centre in Bangor. Both will replace longstanding nearby outlets with all-new, brighter, larger, and modern retail outlets with sustainability built in.

It has also submitted a planning application for a new supermarket and café at Anne Street in Dungannon, replacing its Scotch Street store, on a prominent site which has been derelict for almost four decades.

Combined, the three store builds represent a significant multi-million-pound investment and will support hundreds of jobs during development and construction phases in addition to more than 50 more retail jobs created when all three outlets open. Existing stores in all three areas already employ over 60 employees, all of whom will relocate on completion.

Subject to planning permission by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Ards and North Down Borough Council and Mid Ulster Council, the stores will open next year.

EXPANSION

The proposed new store at the south end of Rushmere Shopping Centre, replacing its existing outlet at Northway, will see the creation of a 2,470 sq. m unit at the former petrol station site, including an expansive 1,650 sq. m sales floor with almost 20 new jobs added to an existing team of over 20 employees.

In Bangor, a new supermarket is proposed at Skipperstone Road to the west of Bloomfield Road where its existing store is currently located. The site will see the new development of a brand new, state-of-the-art retail outlet complete with landscaping and new road access, providing an all-new and enhanced shopping experience for thousands of local weekly shoppers. It will create 20 new jobs, doubling its local workforce.

A new state-of-the-art store and café in Dungannon will also double its local team to 40 employees.

Lidl Northern Ireland Property Director, Chris Speers, said: “Welcoming more than a half a million shoppers through our store network each week, we continue to prioritise delivering the best shopping experience for our customers.

“Alongside our ambitious expansion plans in the region, we are focused on upgrading our existing store network to bring older stores in line with our industry leading, sustainably focused ‘Concept’ design.

“I am delighted to confirm new plans to relocate and upgrade our stores in Bangor, Craigavon and Dungannon, where we have served local communities for more than two decades. These proposed new stores are important for us, and we hope that new and existing customers are as excited as we are by our plans for significant local investment in our local communities.”

Celebrating 25 years of growth and expansion in the region later this year, Lidl Northern Ireland is investing millions of pounds in the development and growth of its 41-strong store network.

Lidl Northern Ireland was also recently granted planning for a new ‘Concept’ store in Coleraine on the site of its existing Riverside Retail Park outlet and work on a new supermarket retail unit at Carryduff Shopping Centre, anchoring a wider redevelopment, is already progressing.

‘LANDMARK YEAR’

Plans to replace its first store in Northern Ireland, in Cookstown, with a new £7 million retail unit, which will be home to an expanded team of 40, were submitted late last year and welcomed by local councillors at Mid Ulster District Council.

It also opened a flagship new £8 million store at Strabane Retail Park in December.

Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “As we mark our landmark 25^th year in Northern Ireland, we are firmly focused on expanding and enhancing our growing local store network.

“Since 2018, Lidl Northern Ireland has consistently been the region’s fastest-growing supermarket, so it’s clear to see that our established ‘Big on Quality, Lidl on Price’ proposition is resonating with even more shoppers.”

Earlier this year, Lidl Northern Ireland, confirmed a price drop for more than 500 products within its everyday range, further underscoring the retailer’s commitment to driving real value and to supporting local shoppers mitigating against cost-of-living impacts.

“Committed to providing the best quality produce at the best value, our goal is to make it easier for new and existing customers to access great local value and choice wherever they are. Our plans for upgraded new stores in Bangor, Craigavon and Dungannon will better meet the needs of a growing customer base in these areas and cements our long-term commitment to serving and investing in local communities.”

Public consultations on all three new stores get underway in the next few weeks in existing retail outlets. The first is in Dungannon on Tuesday 13^th February from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, in Bangor on Tuesday 19^th March at 4.30pm to 6.30pm and in Craigavon on Monday 8^th April from 3pm to 6pm.

Lidl Northern Ireland, which employs more than 1,300 people across its 41-strong store network and regional distribution centre in Nutts Corner, is the region’s fastest-growing retail grocer, according to retail information company Kantar. It now holds a 9.1% market share in the region after seeing the strongest growth among all retailers, up 21.3% year-on-year.

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Items bought on offer accounted for 27% of all grocery spending in January versus 32% last month.

Meanwhile, take-home grocery sales grew in value by 2.9% over the four weeks, according to the latest report from Kantar.

Plant-based and no/low alcohol sales saw a boost, as would be expected in January, but Kantar noted the trend is towards healthy habits all-year round, not just in January.

Spending on alcohol fell by more than half compared with December, as almost 6% of beer packs sold this month were no or low-alcohol options, marking a jump from 4% at the end of last year.

As head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, Fraser McKevitt explained, health always comes to the fore as a priority for consumers in January.

“What’s interesting this month is that we’re not seeing as big a spike in health-related categories as we have done in previous years. That’s because people are now buying more of the typical January ‘health kick’ items throughout the year,” said Fraser.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAVINGS

Fraser added that sights are firmly back on inflation again.

“There’s been lots of speculation about the impact the Red Sea shipping crisis might have on the cost of goods, but the story in the grocery aisles this January is more about the battle between the supermarkets to offer best value, rather than geopolitics.

“Retailers have taken their foot off the promotions gas slightly as we’ve come into the new year, and that’s meant inflation hasn’t fallen as quickly.”

He added that there are still plenty of opportunities for consumers to make savings.

“The overall trend in offers is up versus this time last year, and nearly £500 million more was spent on offers this January than in the same month in 2023,” said Fraser.

“Looking ahead to February, it will be interesting to see how this plays out on Valentine’s Day, and if couples will opt for more low-key celebrations.

“This was certainly the case in 2023, when we saw a massive £43 million spent on supermarket meal deals costing £10 or more in the week before the special day.”

GROWTH FOR LIDL

Lidl is the fastest-growing grocer in Britain for a fifth month in a row, and the only retailer to see double-digit growth in the latest 12 weeks.

According to Kantar, spending at the discounter was up by 11.9%, bringing its share of the market to 7.5%.

Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco gained market share over the latest 12 weeks to 21^st January 2024 compared with a year ago. Sainsbury’s increased sales by 8.1% to take 15.7% of the market, 0.3 percentage points higher than last year, while the UK’s largest retailer Tesco grew by 6.3% and now has a share of 27.6%, up from 27.5%.

Meanwhile, Co-op accounts for 5.3% of the market, growing sales by 1.8% and Iceland saw growth of 2.3%, giving the frozen food specialist a 2.4% share.

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