SALES at all of Northern Ireland’s main supermarkets have slowed compared with the highs of last year, according to fresh data from retail-watchers Kantar.
Overall grocery sales dipped by 5.4 per cent in the year to June 12, attributed to people eating fewer meals around the kitchen table families adapt to life out of lockdown and return to offices, schools, and restaurants.
Rising grocery bills are playing on consumers’ minds too, according to Kantar, with accelerating inflation making its mark on how people shop.
“As shoppers return to pre-pandemic routines, we’re seeing people visit the grocers little and often," says Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar.
“Baskets and trollies are getting smaller, with the volume of products purchased per trip declining by 10.4 per cent over the past 12 weeks.
“People are heading out to the shops more frequently though, and the number of visits to the supermarket is up 2.8 per cent over the past three months.
“And in another nod to normality, take-home alcohol sales have dropped by 13.7 per cent as people opt to get out of the house and head to their local pub instead."
According to Kantar, grocery prices are up 4.2 per cent over the past year, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from last month, when grocery price inflation stood at 3.6 per cent.
“This points to the accelerating cost of living crisis in Northern Ireland, and people will be sticking close to those grocers which can offer the most competitive promotions in an effort to manage increasing costs," according to Ms Healy.
As sales dropped across the board in the north, Lidl performed best in the last month. It had the softest decline among all the grocer chains and also increased its share of the market by 0.3 percentage points.
Tesco has maintained its position at the top of the table with a 36 per cent share. Asda holds 16.2 per cent, while Sainsbury’s accounts for 17 per cent of the market this period.
