Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Estimated total grocery retail sales vs supermarket sales, IoI, 2014-19
- Forecast
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- Figure 2: Indexed estimated total grocery retail sales, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Market factors
- Food prices rising in UK/NI, flat in RoI
- NI consumers’ spending power declines
- Tesco expands its own-label plant-based food range
- Lidl reducing salt and sugar levels in own-label products
- Companies, innovations and brands
- The consumer
- Grocery shopping mainly a single-person activity
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- Figure 3: Who is responsible for the main grocery shop in their household, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Tesco leads the NI grocery market
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- Figure 4: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, NI, September 2019
- Consumers visit multiple retailers to do the weekly shop
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- Figure 5: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, RoI, September 2019
- NI consumers topping up at Tesco and Lidl
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- Figure 6: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping, NI, September 2019
- Tesco and discounters popular top-up shops in RoI
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- Figure 7: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping, RoI, September 2019
- Branded drinks popular among Irish consumers
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- Figure 8: Consumers’ preferences for branded vs own-label groceries, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Branded product purchases influenced by price promotions
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- Figure 9: Motivations to choose a branded product over an own-label product, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Consumers agree retailers need to ensure food safety
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- Figure 10: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, NI and RoI, September 2019
- What we think
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Continued growth expected in Irish grocery market in 2019
- Food prices stable in RoI, rising in NI
- Supermarkets continue to expand healthy own-label ranges
- NI consumers remain financially insecure
Market Size and Forecast
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- 2019 sees growth in value of grocery sales
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- Figure 11: Estimated total grocery retail sales, IoI, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- 2019 will see sales grow at Irish supermarkets
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- Figure 12: Estimated total supermarket retail sales, IoI, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Grocery sales to continue growing through to 2024
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- Figure 13: Indexed estimated total grocery retail sales, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Own-label sales continue to grow strongly
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- Figure 14: Estimated own-label grocery retail sales (excluding non-food items), IoI, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Figure 15: Estimated market value of own-label food products vs. the total grocery market (excluding non-food items), all-Ireland, 2014-24
Market Drivers
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- UK sees food prices rise in 2019
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- Figure 16: Consumer price inflation (CPI) vs food prices, UK (including NI), January 2018-September 2019
- Figure 17: Consumer price inflation (CPI) vs food prices, RoI, January 2018-September 2019
- Average grocery spend £41-60 in NI and €81+ in RoI
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- Figure 18: Average amount that consumers spend each week for household groceries, NI, September 2019
- Figure 19: Average amount that consumers spend each week for household groceries, RoI, September 2019
- NI consumers continue to see finances squeezed
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- Figure 20: Financial health of Irish consumers, NI and RoI, September 2018 and September 2019
- Sainsbury’s/Asda merger blocked
- Consumers continue eating less meat
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- Figure 21: Selective diets that consumers currently adhere to, NI and RoI, June 2018 and June 2019
- Figure 22: Number of new food products launched claiming to be plant-based, UK and Ireland, 2014-19
- Lidl hits 200 stores in Ireland
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- Figure 23: Average store growth rate of grocery retailers’ store networks, IoI, 2016-19
- Lidl reducing unhealthy ingredients in own-label products
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- Figure 24: Ingredients in food and drink products consumers are concerned about, NI and RoI, June 2018
Companies and Innovations – What You Need to Know
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- Retailers taking action to tackle food waste
- Aldi UK and Ireland joins Ocean Disclosure Project
- Sainsbury’s announces new store strategy
- SuperValu introduces fully compostable shopping bags
Who’s Innovating?
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- Own-label product launches outpace branded goods
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- Figure 25: Total new food and drink product launches, UK and Ireland, 2014-19
- M&S continues to lead on own-label NPD
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- Figure 26: New own-label food and drink products launched, top 10 companies, UK and Ireland, 2014-19
- Bakery driving own-label NPD
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- Figure 27: New own-label food and drink products launched, UK and Ireland, 2018
- Treat categories driving
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- Figure 28: New branded food and drink products launched, UK and Ireland, 2018
- Own-label brands reducing sugar and salt levels
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- Figure 29: Percentage of own-label food and drink products claiming to be low, no or reduced salt and sugar, UK and Ireland, 2014-19
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
- 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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- Single person mainly responsible for shopping in Irish households
- Tesco leads the NI market, while RoI market is highly competitive
- Top-up shopping occasion dominated by Tesco and Lidl
- Strong preference for own-label products
- Promotions encourage consumers to buy branded products
- Waste remains high on Irish consumers’ agenda
Responsibility for Grocery Shopping
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- Most consumers claim they are the main grocery shoppers
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- Figure 30: Who is responsible for the main grocery shop in their household, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Irish women the main grocery shoppers
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- Figure 31: Consumers who are mainly/wholly responsible for grocery retailing in a household, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Figure 32: Consumer who share the responsibility for grocery retailing equally with someone else, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
Locations for Main Grocery Shopping
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- Tesco the preferred retailer for the main weekly grocery shop
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- Figure 33: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, NI, September 2019
- Consumers working full-time visit Tesco for main weekly shopping
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- Figure 34: Usage of Tesco for main weekly grocery shopping, by employment status, NI, September 2019
- Lidl grows in popularity among NI consumers
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- Figure 35: Usage of Lidl for main weekly grocery shopping, NI, 2015-19
- Competition high in RoI grocery market
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- Figure 36: Usage of retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, RoI, September 2019
- Women doing the main grocery shop at a supermarket
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- Figure 37: Usage of selected retailers for main weekly grocery shopping, by gender, RoI, September 2019
- Discounters popular among affluent consumers
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- Figure 38: Usage of Aldi and Lidl for main weekly grocery shopping, by social class, RoI, September 2019
Locations for Top-up Shopping
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- Tesco popular among top-up shoppers
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- Figure 39: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping, NI, September 2019
- City dwellers topping up at Tesco, rural consumers at Lidl
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- Figure 40: Usage of Tesco and Lidl for top-up grocery shopping, by location, NI, September 2019
- Men are key top-up shoppers
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- Figure 41: Usage of selected retailers for top-up grocery shopping, by gender, NI, September 2019
- Tesco main top-up shop in RoI, but discounters also popular
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- Figure 42: Usage of retailers for top-up grocery shopping, RoI, September 2019
- Gen-Xers topping up at Dunnes
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- Figure 43: Usage of Dunnes Stores for top-up grocery shopping, by age, RoI, September 2019
- Musgrave-owned brands popular top-up shops
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- Figure 44: Usage of SuperValu and Centra for top-up grocery shopping, by household income, RoI, September 2019
Branded vs Own-label Preferences
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- Consumers choosing own-label for everyday items
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- Figure 45: Consumers’ preferences for branded vs own-label groceries, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Men buying branded goods, women choosing own-label
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- Figure 46: Consumers who buy branded groceries, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Figure 47: Consumers who buy own-label groceries, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
Motivations to Buy Branded Products
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- Promotions and special offers important in branded purchase decision
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- Figure 48: Motivations to choose a branded product over an own-label product, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Different factors appeal to men and women when buying branded goods
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- Figure 49: Motivations to choose a branded product over an own-label product, by gender, NI, September 2019
- Figure 50: Motivations to choose a branded product over an own-label product, by gender, RoI, September 2019
- Exciting flavours important to young consumers in purchase decision
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- Figure 51: Consumers who would choose a branded product over an own-label product because of more exciting flavours, by age, NI and RoI, September 2019
Attitudes towards Supermarkets
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- Food safety important to Irish consumers
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- Figure 52: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Loyalty points on own-label goods appeal to ABC1s
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- Figure 53: Agreement with the statement ‘Extra loyalty points when buying own-label goods would encourage more people to buy them’, by social class, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Women agree own-label product quality as good as branded
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- Figure 54: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, by gender, NI, September 2019
- Figure 55: Agreement with statements relating to supermarkets, by gender, RoI, September 2019
- Older consumers think supermarkets need to do more on waste
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- Figure 56: Agreement with the statement ‘Supermarkets should do more to reduce packaging waste’, by age, NI and RoI, September 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Market size rationale
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
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