Retailer SuperValu is back at the top of the supermarket chain, as figures show it grew its market share to become Ireland's largest grocery retailer for the second time this year.

The latest share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland show SuperValu sales climbed by 2.5% - increasing its share of the market to 24.6%.

The figures are for the 12 weeks ending November 8th.

Dunnes also continued its successful performance, with growth in sales of 3.3%, attributable mainly to larger, more frequent shopping trips.

Dublin has been a key source of growth for Dunnes, where it now stands as the number one retailer.

Lidl maintains its position as the retailer with the strongest sales growth, and has been the only grocer to expand its customer base during the past 12 weeks.

Like Dunnes, Lidl has drawn much of its success from expansion in the capital, having increased footfall in Dublin by 33,000 compared to last year.

Elsewhere, Aldi's performance remains ahead of the overall market, with sales growth of 3.6% and market share increasing to 8.5%.

David Berry adds: "Tesco continues to see a positive volume performance, with more items sold this year but at a lower price point, leading to a slight decline in value sales of 0.7%".

Market share for Tesco has dipped to 24.1%, compared with 24.8% this time last year.

Commenting on the figures, Martin Kelleher, SuperValu managing director, said: "We are pleased to be recognised again as the largest grocery retailer in Ireland with 24.6% market share in the latest Kantar research and would like to thank customers for their loyalty".

"It reflects the strength of our community retail model, where independent retailers in cities and towns across the country are clearly seen to give Irish shoppers what they want", he added.

David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, looked at what's behind the figures on Newstalk Lunchtime.