Always Coca-Cola: top Irish brand for 12th consecutive year

Coke appears still to be it for Irish consumers, having retained the number-one position for the 12th consecutive year in Checkout magazine's list of the 100 most popular brands in the Irish grocery marketplace.

While a large multinational is pre-eminent, the survey, carried out in association with Nielsen, also shows indigenous brands are still popular among Irish shoppers, with household names Brennans, Avonmore and Tayto finishing in the top five.

After the soft-drinks giant comes Cadbury Dairy Milk in second position, with Brennan's bread finishing in the bronze-medal position. Avonmore came fourth, with Mr Tayto fifth.

Favourite tea

The top 100 brands list is also a strong indicator as to just how competitive the grocery landscape is, as it is where a number of intense rivalries across different categories play out. For example, this year sees the battle for Ireland’s favourite cuppa heat up, as Barry’s Tea in 24th place has overtaken Lyons Tea for the first time, with the latter barely scraping into the top 30, finishing in 29th place.

"As the Irish grocery landscape becomes more and more competitive, Ireland's biggest brands are again proving they are ready to rise to the challenge," said Checkout editor Jenny Whelan.

“Irish shoppers might be slow to change their shopping habits, especially after years of tight budgets and a discount-heavy market, but this year’s top 100 shows that consumers are willing to trade up where brands have the right value and quality credentials.”

Two of the biggest success stories here are Cadbury Dairy Milk, which has taken the hotly contested second place slot, and Wrigley’s Extra, which continues its strong performance from last year and makes it to eighth. Yoplait, in 10th position, has made it into the top 10 for the first time, while Ferrero-owned Kinder has climbed an impressive 10 places to make it into the top 20, in 19th.

Similarly, Hunky Dorys achieves its highest position yet at 27th while Glenisk climbed to 32nd. The fruit and vegetable brand Keelings is in 33rd, while the porridge people at Flahavan's are in 51st.

Top grocery categories

The report not only measures the biggest-selling brands in the market place but also details the biggest-selling grocery categories, in the Checkout top 100 categories list. Once again, confectionery leads the list, just ahead of milk, bakery, soft drinks and biscuits.

As healthy-snacking trends continue to grow, pre-packed fresh berries rise 15 places to 17th, while special dietary products – encompassing protein bars, shakes and other products aimed at the health and fitness industry – enters the list for the first time at 87th.

Meanwhile, Heineken leads the way on the top 50 alcohol brands list for the third year in a row, while Santa Rita cements its place as Ireland's biggest-selling wine, topping the top 20 wines list.