Despite a momentary period of jubilation for supermarkets over the Queen‘s celebration, Lidl and Waitrose report a strong share of inflation compared to the big four chains in the grocery sector; in a sales report issued today.
In the latest grocery sales figures published today by research firm Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending June 10 2012, the grocery market grew to 3.3 per cent with an upsurge in the seven days leading up to the Diamond Jubilee of 11.3 per cent.
Supermarkets saw an extra £213 million pumped into the tills the week before the Jubilee holiday period.
This steady influx is predicted to make a repeat performance before the Olympic Games.
Edward Garner, Director at Kantar Worldpanel, believes there will be a strong performance for supermarket chains before the onset of the global sports event, “The remarkable growth rate recorded over the Jubilee is a sign of what‘s to come during the Olympics, when we expect grocery sales to soar. “
“Competition is likely to be fierce with fortunes now considerably different among the big four. “
Out of the four top supermarket giants Tesco and Morrisons have suffered with a 0.4 per cent dip, however there has been reinforcement of the ‘two-nation‘ trend as Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl take a record share of sales.
Upmarket grocery retailer, Waitrose has reported a 4.6 per cent rise in share sales while Aldi and Lidl gained 2.8 per cent respectively during the period.
In a report yesterday, research by YouGov on behalf of advertising agency Bordello predicted Lidl to be one of the next ‘super brands‘ due to them engaging well with their customers through social media channels, taking a 27 per cent share of the vote by 2,000 consumers.
Garner believes that the strong performance of Waitrose and Lidl as opposed to Tesco and Morrisons is due to an improved understanding of their customers. He told Retail Gazette, “The problem with the big four is that they are trying to be all things to all men where as Waitrose and Lidl know who its shoppers are.
“In addition to this issue (poor market share) Morrisons are in a market where they do not have a strong online presence.”
