For the seventh consecutive period, Tesco is the fastest growing of the Irish retailers, according to the latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel. Sales at Tesco are up 4.8% compared to this time last year, with customers spending an average of €21 more this period, with more regular visits and higher spend per visit.

This growth is contrasted by the fact that Tesco is the only one of the three major retailers to witness a further decline in the average price paid per item.

Meanwhile, with market share at 22% and with sales up 2.4%, SuperValu is also performing strongly. Its ongoing sponsorship of the All Ireland Championships has helped keep it at the forefront of consumers’ minds and contributing to its steady growth. In particular, it’s performing well outside of its Munster heartland – in Dublin sales are up 3.6%, while in the rest of Leinster sales have grown by 6.2%.

Meanwhile, Dunnes Stores’ overall growth of 1.9% has been buoyed by the success of its barbecue categories. The retailer’s ‘Mix and Match’ promotion on its barbecue meat range, advertised in the run up to the August bank holiday weekend, helped to boost sales of chilled burgers and grills by a third.

Aldi was the only grocer to experience a significant rise in shopper numbers, attracting an additional 40,000 customers through its doors. The supermarket saw sales growth of 2.9% – helped by its popular ‘Swap and Save’ campaign – and upped its market share by 0.1 percentage points to 11.5%. Lidl achieved sales growth of 1.9% to hold market share at 11.9%.