Business

Lidl continues to gain ground on rivals as market share grows

Lidl increased sales by 9.1 per cent last month compared to February 2018
Lidl increased sales by 9.1 per cent last month compared to February 2018 Lidl increased sales by 9.1 per cent last month compared to February 2018

THE Northern Ireland grocery market followed up a near record-breaking festive period by posting more sales growth, according to the latest monthly figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

The market as a whole lifted grew by 1.5 per cent during the 52 weeks ending February 25, driven almost entirely by higher prices.

Lidl was the biggest winner as it increased sales by 9.1 per cent compared to 2018. The discount supermarket also grew its share of the market from 5.5 per cent to 5.9 per cent in the same period.

Tesco remains the market leader, but its share of the market fell marginally from 35.3 per cent to 35.1 per cent. Overall sales increased by 1.1 per cent in comparison to February 2018.

Sainsbury's saw its sales rise by 1.5 per cent as the retailer retained its market share of 17.3 per cent. Asda lost ground on its rival as its share fell from 17.2 per cent to 17 per cent. This was on the back of a sales uplift of just 0.4 per cent compared to February last year.

Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel said Lidl continues to gain ground on its more established rivals.

“Lidl’s continued growth in Northern Ireland has been led by shoppers buying more at the retailer, with households now purchasing an average of 15.2 items per visit," he said.

"This represents two additional products purchased per trip compared with the same period last year which, combined with the fact that almost three quarters of the population visited Lidl this quarter, has contributed to its impressive sales.”

While the multiples make up the bulk of the overall grocery market in the north, symbol retailers like Spar still command a 8 per cent market share.