In the Media

• 06/02/2019 - The Times

  Sainsbury’s loses ground to big rivals

  
  

  J Sainsbury has emerged as the only one of the four big grocery retailers to suffer falling sales during Christmas and new year as it wrestles with doubts about its planned takeover of Asda.
  
  Sales at Sainsbury’s dropped by 0.3 per cent over the 12 weeks to January 27, figures from Kantar Worldpanel have found. The retail research specialist estimated that over the same period sales at Tesco had risen by 1 per cent, were up 0.4 per cent at Wm Morrison and had improved by 0.7 per cent at Asda.

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• 05/02/2019 - European SuperMarket Magazine

  Sainsbury’s Slides In Latest Kantar Worldpanel Market Share Figures

  
  

  Sainsbury’s was the only major UK retailer to post a decline in sales in the 12 week period to 28 January, according to the latest Kantar Worldpanel market share figures, with the grocer seeing a 0.3% decline over the period to sit on 15.9% market share.
  
  Tesco retains number one position in the UK market, with a 1.0% sales gain over the period putting it on 27.7% market share. After second-placed Sainsbury’s, Asda holds 15.3% market share (+0.7% sales increase), followed by Morrisons, on 10.6% (+0.4%).
  
  Kantar Worldpanel said that Tesco’s centenary pledge to celebrate ‘100 years of great value’ has helped boost sales at the grocery, with its Exclusively at Tesco fresh food lines performing ‘particularly strongly’.
  

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• 05/02/2019 - Retail Times

  New Year’s resolutions lead to healthy grocery sales, Kantar Worldpanel reports

  
  

  The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks to 27 January 2019 show the sector remains in growth – up 1.7% compared to this time last year – boosted in part by the strong performance of fresh produce for Veganuary. However, despite an overall sales increase year-on-year, total till roll sales fell £1.5 billion compared with the month of December.
  
  Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, comments:“Looking back on 2018 as a whole, one of the most notable consumer trends is the shift to a more plant-based diet. Today, 1% of all households include a vegan, 5% have a vegetarian and 10% have flexitarians in their ranks. This move has contributed to consumers eating a total of 4.4 billion meat-free dinners in 2018, an increase of 150 million meals on the year before.

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• 22/01/2019 - Research Live

  Kantar Worldpanel extends laptops and tablets panel

  
  

  This panel – part of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech – has been available in the US for a year, and its first dataset will be available in the UK in April 2019.
  
  Using the sample of 20,000 US panellists and 12,000 in the UK, Kantar Worldpanel can monitor shoppers’ purchase trends, loyalty and switching habits. It gives insight into laptop and tablet devices in a wider technology landscape context as panellists also supply information about other consumer electronics and telecoms services such as smartphones and wearables.
  
  Paul Moore, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global director, said: “Our continuous laptop and tablet consumer research helps brands precisely target new buyers as well as evolve their offer to create a memorable consumer experience.”

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• 22/01/2019 - The Irish Times

  Aldi to hire 500 new staff as it commits to paying living wage in Ireland

  
  

  Aldi is seeking to recruit more than 500 new store employees this year, all of whom will be paid at least €11.90 per hour, matching living wage recommendations.
  
  The grocery retailer, which operates a network of 137 stores in the Republic, is in the throes of investing €160 million to expand and upgrade its Irish store network. It has committed €100 million to building 20 new stores while also investing €60 million in revamping the remainder of its estate.
  
  Aldi has captured a 10.8 per cent share of the Republic’s grocery market and its rival Lidl holds around 10.5 per cent, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

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• 21/01/2019 - Retail Gazette

  House of Fraser sales crash 60% in lead-up to Christmas

  
  

  House of Fraser reportedly had a poor Christmas trading season last year, with sales during the crucial trading season nosediving.
  
  According to figures by Kantar Worldpanel, as reported by The Sunday Telegraph, the department store recorded a 60 per cent year-on-year crash in sales in the 12 weeks leading up to December 18.
  
  It was House of Fraser’s first Christmas under the ownership of Sports Direct, the retail group that operates the eponymous retail chain along with USC, Flannels and Evans Cycles and is majority-owned by retail tycoon Mike Ashley.

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