There was a surge in shopping in advance of Storm Éowyn, with most retailers pointing to a sales bounce as people stocked up on essentials in advance of the red warning coming into place across the whole country late last month, figures from retail analysts Kantar show.
Sales of non-alcoholic drinks also surged as many people across the State embraced dry January with gusto.
Following a period of festive spending and seasonal celebrations, shoppers in Ireland continued to spend with the latest Irish grocery data showing take-home sales over the four weeks to January 26th increasing in value by 6.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.
This was despite grocery price inflation rising by 3.4 per cent, slightly lower than last month.
“Supermarkets were rolling out discounts in the new year as a way of easing the pressure on household budgets – and Irish consumers were more than happy to take advantage of them,” according to Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar.
“Spending on promotions rose by 8.4 per cent, with shoppers spending an additional €72 million versus last year. This is the highest level of sales on promotion we’ve seen since February 2021.”
Alongside promotions, Irish shoppers turned to own-label products to help keep costs down in January. Sales of own-label products jumped 6.9 per cent compared to last year, with an additional €103.9 million being spent on these ranges. Overall, own-label holds 44 per cent value of market share.
Shoppers focused as much on health and wellness as on their wallets, with an additional €8.9 million spent on fresh fruit and vegetables combined. January also saw a boost in healthcare, up 8.6 per cent compared the same period last year.
“Dry January was in full swing this year with 6.2 per cent of all Irish households purchasing non-alcoholic drinks in January. Sales of low- and no-alcohol soared by over 47 per cent, with shoppers spending an additional €620,000 during the month versus last year.
“However, not everyone took part in dry January, as shoppers also spent an additional €7 million on beer and cider.”
Storm Éowyn saw consumers stocking up on necessities, leading to Tesco, Dunnes Stores and Supervalu growing sales by more than the market as a whole.
Over the latest 12 weeks, Dunnes holds a new record 25 per cent of market share, with sales growth of 7 per cent year-on-year.
Tesco holds 24.1 per cent of the market, with value growth of 6.5 per cent year-on-year.
SuperValu holds 20.3 per cent of the market, with growth of 4.2 per cent. Lidl holds a 12.4 per cent share of total spending, while Aldi is on 10.7 per cent.
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