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Supermarket burger sales slump 42pc

Monday, March 04 11:45:15

The latest supermarket share data from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland reveal the initial impact of the horsemeat contamination scandal as frozen burger sales fell by 42pc.

Figures for the 12 weeks ending 17 February, reveal the initial impact of January's horsemeat scandal on consumer shopping habits.

David Berry, commercial director at Kantar Worldpanel, said that the impact of the horsemeat issue has so far only affected what consumers put in their baskets rather than where they do their shopping.

For the four weeks ending 17 February frozen burger sales were down by 42pc as shoppers chose to buy alternative meals.

Aldi continues to set the pace with sales growth of 29pc, increasing its share of the market from 4.6pc last year to 5.9pc. What is notable from Aldi's performance is that it has grown sales of fruit and vegetables - the most valuable grocery category - by 39pc this year.

"Among the big three supermarkets Dunnes is the only grocer to increase its share of the market. Benefiting from bigger shopping baskets, the retailer beat the market with 4.1pc sales growth. Tesco's performance has improved slightly since January but still remains behind the market, leading to a drop in market share for the second successive period," said Mr Berry.

The 0.8pc growth seen in the market is the highest level since December 2011 and is attributable to the continued increase in the price of groceries.

Grocery inflation stands at 5.8pc for the 12 week period ending 17 February 2013, the highest level seen since the 6.2pc seen in September 2008.