TESCO held on to the number one spot of Northern Ireland's favourite grocery store in the past year with sales just shy of the combined total of its two main rivals.
Consumer spending at the retail giant in the north fell back slightly over the 12 months to December 6, according to the latest figures from analysts Kantar Worldpanel.
With a 34.5 per cent share of the overall market, it is still by far the leader.
Sainsbury's also declined slightly with its market share down to 17.6 per cent - just ahead of Asda (17.4 per cent) with the pair expected to switch places in 2016.
German discounter continues to be the main mover with sales up by more than a fifth putting it on 5.2 per cent in terms of market share.
In the Republic, SuperValu lies ahead of Tesco in the most popular list after an impressive end to the year.
Kantar Worldpanel director David Berry said: “It hasn’t all been plain sailing for SuperValu – over the past six months the retailer has seen falling shopper numbers, but in the past 12 weeks it has managed to get that issue under control.
"This has allowed SuperValu to strengthen its position at the top, posting impressive sales growth of 3.7 per cent and increasing its share of the grocery market to 24.7 per cent. Alongside a strong performance in its traditional heartland – fruit and vegetables – the grocer also posted excellent sales in confectionery, crisps and snacks and soft drinks during the past quarter.
“Tesco remains in second place with a 24.1 per cent share of grocery sales. While value sales may have dipped, we have seen growth in the number of items shoppers are picking up on each trip. The reduction in value sales is linked to the fact that these items are at a lower price point than last year, leading to a dip in the retailer’s value share of the grocery market.”
Dunnes’ sales continue to grow, with an increase of 3.6 per cent this period to cap off a strong year – the retailer has seen non-stop sales growth for the whole of 2015.
Dunnes has continually managed to encourage shoppers to spend more per trip, with its Shop and Save campaign helping to create a more loyal customer base and increase its market share to 23.8 per cent.
Elsewhere, Lidl continues to post the strongest growth with sales increasing by 10.6 per cent as 37,000 more shoppers visited the retailer compared with the same time last year.
Dublin has proved a particularly strong region for Lidl, with shopper numbers in the nation’s capital increasing by 10 per cent this quarter. Aldi’s performance remains ahead of the overall market, with sales growth of 2.6 per cent and market share holding at 8.4 per cent.
