Shoppers spent €2.49bn at the tills at supermarkets in the 12 weeks to mid-July, while grocery price inflation eased but remained at an elevated level of 2.8%.
The latest grocery survey from market research firm Kantar show that spend at the five largest supermarkets as well as the convenience stores of €2.49bn was up 2.7% from the same period a year earlier.
Grocery price inflation which had quickened to 3.1% in the previous survey eased to 2.8% in the latest period.
The Kantar survey is based on 30,000 grocery items.
While the average price consumers are paying has risen across the board, Lidl has seen the greatest increase as shoppers have bought more of its premium products, said Douglas Faughnan at Kantar.
“While Lidl has witnessed a slight rise in overall shopper numbers, its success encouraging people to trade up to its premium own label and branded lines is a key reason behind its growth. Nearly 100,000 more shoppers bought Lidl’s top tier own-label products this period compared to last, with an additional 13,000 shoppers buying branded goods as well,” he said.
With a growth spurt, Dunnes maintained its lead as the largest supermarket, securing a 21.8% share of the €2.49bn spent in the 12 weeks.
Both Tesco, at 21.6%, and SuperValu, with a market share of 21.1%, had lost sales compared with the same period in 2018.
Aldi and Lidl increased the value of their total sales from a year ago. Aldi secured a 12.5% share of the spend in the latest period, and Lidl had a 12.2% share.