The latest figures, published for the 12 weeks ending 19 July, show that with a 24.9% share of the market, Tesco is still Ireland's No 1 supermarket, followed by Supervalu (24.3%), Dunnes Stores (22.3%), Lidl (9%) and Aldi (8.6%).

However, for the second period in a row, Lidl posted the strongest sales growth, increasing sales by 8.1% in the past 12 weeks. This was closely followed by Dunnes, who grew sales by 6.7%.

Lidl's highest share of the market to date was achieved by a combination of price reductions and money-off vouchers, according to David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel.

"Lidl has recruited a record number of customers this quarter, with 66% of all Irish householders visiting Lidl at least once during this time,” he said.

The growth in Dunnes' market share has been attributed to its 'Shop & Save' campaign which encourages shoppers to buy and spend more per shop.

Larger shopping trips, during which shoppers are spending in excess of €100, have contributed to a sales growth of 6.7%, the highest level achieved by Dunnes in over five years.

As for the most dominant retailer, Tesco, Berry says there are signs that Tesco’s decline in sales are levelling off following a difficult two years.

"The fall of 1.5% this quarter is the most positive performance the retailer has seen since April 2013," he said.

The retailer is also starting to bring in more shoppers, with an additional 10,000 households visiting the retailer in the past quarter compared with last year.