Main findings of NCA grocery price survey - July 2009
22 July 2009
The National Consumer Agency has published the findings of its latest survey comparing grocery prices between major outlets.
Links to download the full report and data are at the bottom of this page
Highlights of the survey
There have been significant reductions in prices for both branded and own brand grocery goods since the NCA's last survey in January 2009.
Branded
- The results indicate that there is increased competition in the market for branded goods
- When comparing a basket of branded goods between Dunnes Stores, Superquinn and Tesco, the difference between the cheapest and dearest has widened significantly since the last survey. The cost of this basket was practically identical in Dunnes Stores and Tesco Change for Good (CFG) stores
- 27 SuperValu and 44 Centra stores along the border are participating in a "Sterling Match" initiative. SuperValu "Sterling Match" prices performed very strongly in the branded segment, closely tracking the performance of Dunnes Stores and Tesco (CFG stores)
- Examining the period from January 2009 to June 2009, prices in separate baskets of branded goods for Tesco, Dunnes Stores and Superquinn all recorded a decrease. Tesco recorded the largest decrease (comparing prices in January 2009 with prices in its stores included in the CFG pricing model), Superquinn the smallest
Own brand
- The gap between Aldi and Lidl on a basket of common goods has narrowed significantly since the January 2009 survey
- The gap between Dunnes Stores and Tesco on own brand goods has increased significantly between January 2009 and June 2009, while Tesco own brand ranges are closing the gap with Aldi and Lidl
- Over the period January 2009 to June 2009 separate baskets for Aldi, Lidl, Dunnes Stores and Tesco all became cheaper. The basket of goods from Tesco (comparing prices in January 2009 with prices in its stores included in the CFG pricing model) recorded the largest decrease, Dunnes Stores the smallest decrease
While the results of the survey are clearly good news for consumers, it remains the case that the best value is to be found by astutely splitting the basket between the various retailers, informed by their relative competitiveness across the branded and own brand segments.
NCA market research suggests that own brand products now account for about one third of the typical shopping basket, suggesting that retailers will need to compete in all segments to attract value conscious shoppers.
Downloads
Download the National Consumer Agency Price Comparison Survey July 2009:
The following survey data is also available to download: