While the latest figures show that shoppers made fewer trips to stores (-0.7%), they picked up more packs per trip than last year, contributing an additional £19.3 million to the overall market performance.

The latest report from Kantar shows that grocery inflation in Northern Ireland now stands at 2.26%, down from 2.5% last month.

Northern Irish shoppers spent an additional £37.7 million on their favourite brands – an increase of 1.6% year-on-year – boosting branded value share to 54.8%. Own label grew at a slower rate of 0.9%, with shoppers spending an additional £17 million compared to last year. Own label holds a 43.3% value market share, down slightly by 0.1 percentage points year-on-year.

Business Development Director at Kantar, Emer Healy said that many shoppers in Northern Ireland had turned to promotions alongside own-label products in a bid to find the best value in the market.

“Promotional activity remains strong, accounting for over 22.5% of value sales, with shoppers spending almost £1 billion on promotional deals,” said Emer.

“Love was in the air as many shoppers celebrated Valentine’s Day at home, spending an additional £9 million on ready meals, frozen confectionery and wine.”

Meanwhile, Tesco continues to lead in market share performance, holding 36.5% of the market – up 5.9% compared to last year. This growth is driven by an increase in the number of trips to stores alongside attracting new shoppers, contributing an additional £69.3 million to its performance.

Sainsbury’s holds a 16.7% market share, with sales up 0.3% year-on-year. The retailer welcomed an influx of new shoppers while existing shoppers picked up more volume, which contributed £48.2 million to its overall performance.

Asda holds 16.3% of the market, up 3% over this period, with increases in volume per trip and new shoppers contributing a combined additional £17.3 million to its performance. Lidl holds a 9.2% market share, up 1.9% year-on-year, with more frequent trips boosting overall performance by £5.9 million.

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The average annual grocery bill is set to rise by £330, from £5600 to £5930, if consumers don’t change their shopping habits, the latest figures from Kanter show.

And as retailers continue to place emphasis on promotions to attract shoppers through the door, over 22.4% of sales were made through promotional offers – the highest level so far this year.

In the year to 1^st September 2024, £4.25 billion passed through the tills, up 4.8% year-on-year, an additional £194.5m compared to last year. Take-home grocery sales grew as shoppers marginally increased their volume per trip, contributing a combined £21.6m to overall performance.

Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar said there were still positives to take away.

“Brands are also regaining market share this period, growing by 0.7 percentage points year-on-year, and now holding 54.6% of the value market share, with an additional £135m in shopper spending year-on-year,” said Emer.

“Own-label products remain important within retailer ranges, growing in value by 3.8% year-on-year, although lagging behind the overall market, which is up by 4.8%.

“Despite the ongoing pressures on consumers, the latest 12 weeks saw people getting into the party spirit to celebrate the summer of sport. Cider grew in popularity, increasing by 4.6%, while accompaniments, including savoury snacks, were up by £3.3m. Despite the unpredictable summer weather, it certainly didn’t dampen the barbecues, with chilled burgers and grills growing by 12.1% in value sales, and fresh sausages increasing by 6.3%.”

Meanwhile, Tesco maintains its position at the top of the table as Northern Ireland’s largest grocer, with a 35.6% share of the market, up 6.8%. An increase in store visits contributed an additional £91.3m to its overall performance.

Lidl holds a 9.1% market share, up 3.9% year-on-year. The number of trips to stores remain steady from last month at 30.1 trips.

Sainsbury’s holds a 16.8% market share, up 6.1% and welcomed more shoppers in-store, contributing an additional £71.2m to its overall performance. Asda maintains its 16.3% share of the market, up 7.5% this period, and continued to welcome new shoppers in-store, along with larger trips, which contributed a combined additional £54m overall.

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