ASDA appears set to overtake Sainsbury's as Northern Ireland's second favourite supermarket.
According to the latest figures from analysts Kantar Worldpanel, the two British retailers are tied with a 17.6 per cent share of the market in the north.
And because Asda is the only one of the three main chains to increase market share over the past year - up 1.6 per cent in the 52 weeks to April 24 - it is almost certain to overtake Sainsbury's within months.
Tesco remains Northern Ireland's most popular grocer with a 34.8 per cent share of the market (down 1.2 per cent) while Sainsbury's share fell 1.9 per cent.
German-owned budget retailer enjoyed the greatest jump in sales over the year and now commands a 5.2 per cent share of the market - up 10.5 per cent.
Overall consumer spending at supermarkets in Northern Ireland fell by 0.2 per cent over the period.
This subdued performance is in stark contrast to the Republic where spending is up 3.8 per cent in the past 12 weeks compared to the same period in 2015.
Kantar Worldpanel director David Berry said that was due to intense competition between retailers which meant "we’re actually seeing shoppers visit stores more often".
"Over the latest 12 weeks the average household has made 63 separate trips for grocery items, an additional four trips compared with last year," he said.
"This is linked to a reduction in the overall size of the average grocery trip - which has dropped from €22.40 40 last year to €21.60 - as we see a rise in top up shops whereby consumers buy fewer items more regularly throughout the week."
SuperValu remains the largest supermarket in Ireland, capturing 23 per cent of consumer spend on groceries and increasing sales by 2.8 per cent year on year.
Meanwhile Tesco remains in second place, with the retailers’ share of the market standing at 22.2 per cent.
Mr Berry added: "The recent strong performance continues for Dunnes Stores, with sales growth reaching an impressive 8 per cent.
"Bigger trips have been the main driver of this growth, with an additional €2.50 spent each time the tills ring compared with the same time last year. This is testament to the ongoing success of Dunnes’ ‘Shop and Save’ campaign: incentivising shoppers to spend more each visit in return for money off next time is a formula that has really worked for the grocer.”
As in the north, Lidl is the fastest growing retailer in the Republic with market share now stands at 11.2 per cent.
Elsewhere Aldi has grown sales by just over 1 per cent and now captures 10.9 per cent of grocery spend in the Republic.
