Consumers are turning to shopping little and often to help manage household budgets as high grocery inflation continues, according to Kantar.
In the 12 weeks to May 14, 2023, grocery inflation rose by 16.5%, which is down marginally (0.1%) on last month.
The latest data published today (May 29) from Kantar shows that take-home grocery sales increased by 11.3% in the four weeks to May 14, as the average price per pack increased by 13.4%.
Shoppers visited stores more often during the month of May (11.6%) making an additional two trips compared to the same time last year.
Kantar said that grocery price inflation is the real driving factor behind this as opposed to increased purchasing.
Kantar
Commenting on the data, Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar, said: “The slight drop in grocery price inflation is without doubt welcome news for shoppers but it is still high – 16.5% is the third-fastest rate of grocery inflation we’ve seen since 2008.
“In response to the high level of inflation we are seeing consumers change their shopping patterns to off-set part of the increased cost,” she added.
The latest 12-week data shows that consumers returned to stores more often, with visits up by 12% which equates to an additional seven shopping trips over the period.
This contributed an additional €574 million to the overall market performance alongside a significant increase in the average price per pack which is up 13.7% year-on-year.
Shoppers
Kantar said that own-label growth stood at 16.3% compared to branded goods at 8.2% which reflects shoppers seeking ways to save money.
Value own-label products saw the strongest growth year-on-year at 32.3%, with shoppers spending €17.5 million more on these ranges.
Branded and own label products are now on equal terms for the first time with each having a 47.3% share of the market.
Retailers also benefited from the recent good weather which marked the start of barbeque season.
“Shoppers spent an additional €6.6 million on beer and lager, €722,000 on chilled burgers and grills and €516,000 on fresh sausages over the four weeks,” Healy said.
Online sales were up by 3.3% year-on-year with shoppers spending an additional €5.3 million online over the past 12 weeks. However, volume sales online fell by 16.3% compared to last year.
Dunnes, Tesco and Lidl experienced value growth ahead of the total market in May.
Dunnes holds the highest share amongst all retailers at 23.1%, followed by Tesco on 22.4%, SuperValu with 20.6%, Lidl on 13.6% and Aldi at 12.1%.