New figures from Kantar show that the rate of grocery inflation slowed again marginally to 16.5% in the 12 weeks to 14 May, down from 16.6%.

Kantar said that in response to the still high level of inflation consumers are changing their shopping patterns to off-set part of the increased cost of groceries.

It said that shoppers are turning to shopping little and often to help manage household budgets. The latest 12 week period shows shoppers retuning to store more often, with visits up by 12% - or an additional seven trips.

This contributed an additional €574m to the overall market performance along with a significant increase in the average price per pack which is up 13.7% year-on-year.

Kantar's latest figures show that take-home grocery sales increased by 11.3% in the four weeks to 14 May 2023.

Supermarkets are seeing much stronger own-label growth (16.3%) compared to branded (8.2%) as shoppers are looking for ways to save money.

Value own-label saw the strongest growth year-on-year at 32.3% with shoppers spending €17.5m more on these ranges, Kantar noted.

May also marks the first time that branded and own label were on equal terms when it comes to market share, with each holding a 47.3% share of the market.

Today's figures show that Dunnes holds the highest share amongst all retailers at 23.1% with growth of 15.8% on an annual basis due to shoppers returning to shop 14% more often - this equates to nearly two additional trips.

Tesco holds 22.4% of the market after 14.5% growth in the latest period under review.

The chain saw the strongest rate of growth amongst all retailers - 16% year-on-year - which contributed an additional €93.7m to their overall performance.

SuperValu holds 20.6% of the market and saw growth of 5.8%. SuperValu shoppers made the most trips in store compared to all retailers with an average of 23.8 trips, an increase of 15.4% year-on-year.

Meanwhile Lidl hit a record new market share of 13.6% and saw growth of 15.8% year on year. More frequent trips contributed to an additional €44.4m to its overall performance.

Aldi holds a 12.1% market share and reported growth of 11.3% year-on-year. A strong boost in new shoppers and more frequent trips contributed an additional €53.2m to its overall performance.