Tesco Northern Ireland is putting local suppliers on centre stage in a major refresh of its food-to-go offering.

A host of locally produced favourites—previously part of the Premium Meal Deal—will be available as part of Tesco’s Core Meal Deal. The lunchtime offer includes a main, snack, and drink and will feature over 20 NI-born and bred food-to-go products, including sandwiches and wraps from Deli Lites, Brunch Box and Twelve, yogurt and granola bowls from Slim’s Healthy Kitchen and cosy soups from Big Pot Soup.

Previously priced at £5.50 (or £5 with a Clubcard) in the Premium Meal Deal, these high-spec products—known for generous protein portions, quality ingredients, and innovative flavours—will now be available in the Core Meal Deal for just £4 (£3.60 with a Clubcard).

David Thompson, Buying Manager – Dairy & Front of Store at Tesco NI, said, “This change is all about delivering great quality and local flavour at a price that works for our customers. We’re proud to partner with some of the best local food-to-go suppliers, and by incorporating their products into our Core Meal Deal, we’re making it even easier for shoppers to enjoy premium choices for less—without sacrificing quality or convenience.”

This update is exclusive to Tesco Northern Ireland. Customers in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland will continue to see Premium products offered in a separate range.

As a further enhancement, from Monday 30 June, Tesco will also introduce a brand-new range of Crust & Co sandwiches—premium own-brand alternatives set to replace existing Tesco sandwiches in NI and ROI, offering even greater variety across the store’s food-to-go range.

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Tesco has said it is making the move because it remains committed to the Dunmurry area and wants to continue to “offer exceptional service, create jobs, and provide a wide range of products for customers in a purpose-built new store.”

Dunmurry residents have recently received a card highlighting the plans and asking for feedback by Monday, March 31.

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “The existing Dunmurry store is not owned by Tesco, but has been on a long-term lease with our landlord. This lease is due to end in 2027.

“However, we are really proud to be part of the Dunmurry community and remain committed to serving our local customers. We are actively looking to open a new and slightly larger replacement Tesco Superstore nearby, next to Makro. The new store would allow us to continue to offer exceptional service, create jobs, and provide a wide range of products to customers in an improved shopping environment”.

Tesco continued: “We encourage you to let us know if you have any questions or comments in relation to the proposed new store beside Makro by emailing feedback@dunmurrystore.com.”

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Take-home sales at the grocers increased by 6.4% over the four weeks to 3 November 2024 to reach €1.16 billion, making this the biggest sales month of the year so far, according to the latest data from Kantar. Grocery inflation stands at 3.3%, which is down 6.15ppts versus the same time last year.

Irish households shopped more often in October, up 2.6% compared to last year, stocking up for Halloween, the bank holiday ahead of the school mid-term break and Christmas, leading to a 5.4% overall increase in volume sales. While pumpkin sales increased by 4.5% (€63k), sales of brussels sprouts surged by 43% as shoppers spent an additional €149k on this traditional holiday staple.

Eimear Faughnan, Head of Retail at Kantar, explains: “October was an important month for Irish shoppers as they prepared for the first school holiday of the new term and Halloween, enjoying above-average temperatures that delayed the need to don winter woollies. Shoppers stocked up on Halloween treats, spending a ‘frightening’ €8.9 million more than last year on chocolate confectionery. €2.4 million on savoury snacks and €1.6 million on sweets.

But it’s clear that Irish households are also preparing for the holiday season. Shoppers spent an additional combined €774k on flour, fruits & nuts, icing & cake mixes as they ready their Christmas cakes.”

Over the latest 12-week period, shoppers took advantage of promotions spending an additional €40 million on deals compared to the previous period. The share of products sold on promotion sits at 18.5%. Branded products outperformed own label for the third consecutive 12-week period, resulting in a 2.6 percentage-point gap, as shoppers boosted branded value sales by 7%.

Online sales rose by 11.8% year-on-year, with shoppers spending an additional €21.5 million through this channel. Over the latest 12-week period, the number of online shopping trips increased by 16.5%, adding €29 million to the channel.

Dunnes and Tesco Lead in Retailer Market Share

Dunnes holds 24.5% market share, with sales growth of 9% year-on-year as shoppers increased their number of trips by 7.3% contributing an additional €55.9 million to overall performance.

Tesco holds 23.4% of the market, with value growth of 9.6% year-on-year, as shoppers increased their trips to store by 6.7%.

SuperValu holds 19.7% of the market and saw growth of 2.3%. Consumers made the most shopping trips to this grocer, averaging 24.4 trips over the latest 12 weeks. The increased number of shopping trips and additional items picked up per trip contributed €28.8 million to its performance.

Lidl experienced a growth of 6.3%, capturing a 13.5% share of total spending. Increased store visits and higher volume per trip contributed to an additional €26.3 million in sales compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Aldi grew by 1.2%, securing an 11.5% market share, with increased store visits driving an additional €16.4 million in sales.

Grocery inflation* stands at 3.3% over the 12 weeks to 3 November 2024.

*This figure is based on over 30,000 identical products compared year-on-year in the proportions purchased by Irish shoppers, and therefore represents the most authoritative figure currently available. It is a ‘pure’ inflation measure in that shopping behaviour is held constant between the two comparison periods – shoppers are likely to achieve a lower personal inflation rate if they trade down or seek out more offers.

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Volumes per trip increased slightly, by 0.4%, as did store visits (1%), with shoppers making, on average, 21.5 trips in the month of April.

The average price per pack grew marginally this month, by 0.7%.

Although value sales are up for April, this was mainly driven by grocery price inflation, rather than increased purchasing.

Within the Irish grocery market, Dunnes Stores still holds the highest market share, at 23.9%, with year-on-year growth of 8% -slightly below last month, when it held 24% of the market.

Tesco follows, with 23% of the market – up by 7.6%, year on year.

SuperValu holds 20.4% of the market and growth of 3.5%. SuperValu’s shoppers  make the most frequent in-store trips, with an average amount of 21.8.

SuperValu also has the strongest growth in volume per trip among Irish retailers – up by 5.8% – contributing an additional €37.4 million to its overall performance.

Lidl holds a 13.6% share, with year-on-year growth of 6.4%.

More frequent trips added €33 million to its overall performance.

Aldo holds 12.1% of the market and a year-on-year decline of 0.6%.

New shoppers and more frequent trips contributed an additional €8.4 million to the discounter’s overall performance.

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For over a decade, the Petrotec Group, through Petroassist UK, has been a valued technology partner of Tesco in the retail fuel sector. Petrotec Group’s payment terminals are already predominant at the more than 600 Tesco forecourts throughout the UK.

Since the beginning of the partnership, Petrotec’s Pay@Pump products have processed millions   of fuel transactions. Now, with an important new addition, more than 600 forecourts in Tesco’s network will receive the latest generation of ‘Pay@Pump’ terminals developed by the Petrotec Group. This technology provides forecourt customers with a unique experience, thanks to an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, coupled with a new visual identity created in partnership with the branding team of the British multinational.

This new generation of payment terminals from the Petrotec Group is fully connected to the cloud and offers a suite of update and content management options. This integration simplifies product updates and presentation on the equipment screen, optimizing the customer experience.

The modern and timeless interface of the new terminals incorporates the latest card payment security technology, ensuring 24/7 operation and seamless integration into Tesco’s current and future infrastructure.

Over 600 Forecourts with the New Petrotec Group Technology

Tesco’s UK chain of hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores includes over 600 fuel stations, all of which are being equipped with this state-of-the-art technology, in an operation facilitated by Petroassist UK, the Petrotec Group’s subsidiary for the UK.

Founded in 1983, the Petrotec Group has risen to become a leading European manufacturer of equipment and services for the fuel industry. Today, the group’s product portfolio not only includes traditional petrol pumps but also the most advanced solutions for electric vehicle charging and green hydrogen. The Group’s unique positioning across the mobility value chain, its technological capabilities, and its presence on four continents make the Petrotec Group one of the most significant global players in the sector.

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