Tesco still on top in Northern Ireland – but Lidl gives chase

Tesco still on top in Northern Ireland – but Lidl gives chase

The Northern Irish grocery market grew by 3.4% in the 52 weeks to 8 August 2021 – with Tesco remaining Northern Ireland’s largest grocer.

Shoppers picked up 5% more items each visit on average as they made fewer, larger shops throughout Covid-19 lockdowns.

Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, comments:

“Tesco remains Northern Ireland’s largest grocer, increasing its sales by 4.1% compared with last year.  It has benefited from shoppers picking up 6.7% more items when in store.

“Asda’s sales rose by 3.5%, helping it to hold 16% of the grocery market.  The grocer’s growth was driven by customers making additional trips and adding extra items to their baskets.  Sainsbury’s grew by 2.5% this period as shoppers visited its stores 13.3% more often than this time last year.

Fastest growing retailer

“Lidl continues to be the fastest growing retailer in Northern Ireland, with sales 12.9% higher than in 2020.  This growth came from consumers buying more per trip and going to stores more often, with frequency of visits up 11%.

In the shorter term, grocery sales declined by 6.4% in the most recent 12 weeks as shoppers returned to some of their normal routines, eating out more and venturing back to offices.  We saw a switch from the ‘big shop’ to smaller, more frequent trips to supermarkets as people needed to buy less to eat at home and were able to grab their groceries while they were out and about.  Across the 12 weeks volume sales were down by 7.3% year on year.

“As the hospitality sector reopens, shoppers continue to spend less on alcohol to enjoy at home and sales fell by 26% in the past 12 weeks compared with last year.  People are also making the most of a break from the kitchen and home cooking ingredients dropped by 15.5% this period as a result.”