Tesco retains Kantar Worldpanel top spot as drinks sales boom

Exports fall due to lockdowns in key markets, with a notable 45% drop in Irish beer exports to the United States

Sunbathing is thirsty work! Overall sales at Irish supermarkets have soared amid the record-breaking summer heatwave, growing by 3.1%. Bottled water and beer sales in particular have seen significant increases, with sales growth of 27.3% and 11.6% respectively.

Print

Print

News

Read More: Kantar Worldpanel tesco

Kantar Worldpanel’s latest grocery market share figures have revealed a boom in sales of bottled water and beer for the 12 weeks ending 15 July; not unexpected given the unprecedented heatwave that has seen the country bake in record temperatures.

Sales in supermarkets across the board have grown by  3.1% with bottled water and lager in particular experiencing strong growth – 27.3% and 11.6% respectively. As well as the hot weather, the social occasions promoted by the FIFA World Cup buoyed sales.

Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel said that water sales were also likely boosted by speculation surrounding water shortages and this month’s hosepipe ban. “Irish shoppers bought bottled water on 1.8 million more occasions in the latest 12 weeks compared to the same period last year,” he said, “helping sales grow by over a quarter.

Furthermore the Europe-wide shortage of CO2 may have stifled sales of carbonated water, which grew at a third of the rate of still water, with retailers and manufacturers shifting their focus to stills where necessary.”

Faughnan added that the growth in beer sales in the 12-week period represents an additional 7 million pint sales, year-on-year. “Despite Ireland’s association with stout,” he said, “it is lager that is actually leading the way – 42.4% of households bought lager at least once in the past 12 weeks, as shoppers took advantage of the sun and the football.”

Meanwhile, Tesco’s strong performance has continued into the summer. It now accounts for 22.5% of Ireland’s grocery market, also likely due to a boom in barbecue sales such as the “Grillin’ and Chillin'” campaign.

SuperValu held on to 21.9% of the market, while Dunnes finished with 21.2%. Lidl and Aldi accounted for 11.9% and 11.5% of the market. Aldi was the only retailer to see a slight rise in shopper numbers this period.

Read More: Kantar Worldpanel tesco

Related Articles

Tesco reports strong performance in FY 2023/24 →

Tesco Ireland opens new West Dublin store, creates 33 new jobs →