Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Issues covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- Market sizes
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- Figure 1: Estimated total grocery retail sales, NI and RoI, 2013-19
- Forecast
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- Figure 2: Forecast total supermarket retail sales, NI and RoI, 2016-23
- Market drivers
- RoI consumers spending less on their grocery shopping
- Consumers worried about their future finances
- Discounters continue to gain market share
- Online grocery shopping increases for NI but remains stagnant in RoI
- Companies and innovations
- The consumer
- Women still doing the main grocery shopping
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- Figure 3: Who is responsible for the main grocery shop in their household, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Tesco is the top retailer for main grocery shopping
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- Figure 4: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, NI, September 2018
- Figure 5: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, RoI, September 2018
- Lidl preferred for top-up shopping
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- Figure 6: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping in-store, NI, September 2018
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- Figure 7: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping in-store, RoI, September 2018
- Branded treat items preferred by Irish consumers
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- Figure 8: Consumers’ preferences of branded vs own-label groceries, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Many think grocery prices are increasing
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- Figure 9: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, NI and RoI, September 2018
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Supermarket sales experience growth in 2018
- Food prices decrease for RoI but increase in NI
- Confidence dips across IoI
- Discounters continue to gain market share
- Online grocery shopping increases for NI
Market Sizes and Forecast
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- Grocery retailing sales on the rise
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- Figure 10: Estimated total grocery retail sales, IoI, NI and RoI, 2013-23
- Supermarket sales forecast for increase
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- Figure 11: Estimated total supermarket retail sales, IoI, NI and RoI, 2013-23
- NI relies heavier on supermarkets than RoI
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- Figure 12: Estimated grocery retail sales vs supermarket sales, NI and RoI, 2018
Market Drivers
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- Food prices fall
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- Figure 13: Consumer price indices vs food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, RoI, August 2017-August 2018
- Figure 14: Consumer price indices vs food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, NI, August 2017-August 2018
- Weekly grocery costs increase in NI, decline in RoI
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- Figure 15: Average amount that consumers spend each week for household groceries, NI, October 2017 and September 2018
- Figure 16: Average amount that consumers spend each week for household groceries, RoI, October 2017 and September 2018
- Confidence dips
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- Figure 17: How consumers think their personal financial situation will improve over the next 12 months, NI and RoI, March and September 2018
- Discounters compete for market share
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- Figure 18: Consumer agreement with the statement ‘There is little difference in the quality of products between supermarket and discount retailers’, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Online shopping gives supermarkets an edge
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- Figure 19: Consumers who have purchased groceries (for home delivery) online using a laptop or desktop computer in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, 2016-18
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Sainsbury’s close to merger with Asda to create a UK market leader
- Tesco launching ‘recession-proof’ sub-brand in the event of unfavourable Brexit
- SuperValu brand going strong in RoI
- War on plastic continues
Who’s Innovating?
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- Marks & Spencer leads new product development in last five years
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- Figure 20: New products launched in the UK and Ireland market, by company, 2014-18
- Figure 21: Claims analysis of new food products launched in UK and Ireland, 2014-18
- Walmart smart carts
- Extreme transparency
- Tick off plastic
Companies and Brands
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- Aldi (RoI only)
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Asda (NI only)
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Dunnes Stores
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Iceland
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Lidl
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Marks & Spencer
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Sainsbury’s (NI only)
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- SuperValu (Musgrave)
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
- Tesco
- Key facts
- Positioning and strategy
- Brand NPD
- Recent developments
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Women remain wholly responsible for shopping
- Tesco is the most used supermarket for main shop
- Lidl used most for top-up shopping
- Branded products preferred for treats
- Food and packaging waste concerns shoppers
Who is Responsible for Grocery Shopping?
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- A third share responsibility for shopping with someone else
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- Figure 22: Who is responsible for the main grocery shop in their household, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Women more likely to be solely responsible
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- Figure 23: Consumers who are mainly/wholly responsible for the main grocery shop in the household, by gender and age, NI and Roi, September 2018
Locations for Main Grocery Shopping
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- Tesco is the top retailer in Ireland
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- Figure 24: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, NI, September 2018
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- Figure 25: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, RoI, September 2018
- Tesco favoured by NI consumers
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- Figure 26: Consumers who have visited Tesco for their main grocery shop, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2018
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- Figure 27: Consumers rating their personal financial situation as ‘Healthy’ (ie I have money left at the end of the month for a few luxuries or to add to my savings), NI and RoI, February 2016-September 2018
- Aldi favoured by men and 35-44-year-olds
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- Figure 28: Consumers who have visited Aldi for their main grocery shop, by age and gender, RoI, September 2018
Locations for Top-up Grocery Shopping
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- Top-up shoppers favour Lidl
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- Figure 29: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping in-store, NI, September 2018
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- Figure 30: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping in-store, RoI, September 2018
- Mature consumers top-up shopping at Lidl
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- Figure 31: Consumers’ usage of Lidl for top-up grocery shopping, by gender and age, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Convenience stores used by top-up shoppers
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- Figure 32: Consumers’ usage of Spar/Eurospar and Centra for top-up grocery shopping, NI and RoI, September 2018
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- Figure 33: Types of shopping that consumers use convenience stores and forecourts for, NI and RoI, April 2017
Branded vs Own-label Preferences
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- Staples showed higher preference for own-label
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- Figure 34: Consumers’ preferences for branded vs own-label groceries, NI and RoI, September 2018
- NI younger consumers buying own-label dairy
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- Figure 35: Consumers who prefer own-label dairy products (eg Tesco’s milk), by age, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Many Irish consumers don’t have a preference towards meat
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- Figure 36: Consumers who buy meat, poultry and fish products, by branded vs own-label, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Branded alcohol and coffee more popular
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- Figure 37: Consumers who buy alcoholic drinks and hot drinks (eg tea or coffee), by branded vs own-label, NI and RoI, September 2018
Attitudes towards Supermarkets
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- Freshness is a concern when shopping online
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- Figure 38: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Women more concerned with freshness when online shopping
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- Figure 39: Consumers’ agreement with the statement ‘Freshness is a key concern when shopping for groceries online’, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Food safety is a top priority for supermarkets
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- Figure 40: Consumers’ agreement with the statements ‘Supermarkets have a duty to ensure food and drink is ethically sourced’ and ‘I trust supermarkets to ensure the food and drink they sell is safe to eat’, NI and RoI, September 2018
- Mounting pressure on supermarkets to reduce packaging
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- Figure 41: Consumers’ agreement with the statement ‘Supermarkets should do more to reduce packaging waste’, by age, NI and RoI, September 2018
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
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