The Irish grocery market grew by an impressive 3.0% over the 12 weeks to 30 December, ensuring a record festive period for retailers.

The latest Kantar Worldpanel data shows value sales reached €995 million in the month of December – the highest monthly total ever recorded in the Irish grocery market.  

This was driven by Irish shoppers spending an average of €694 on groceries in December – €151 more than the typical month. The popularity of classic Christmas staples continued to endure, with mince pie sales rising by more than 10%. Meanwhile, seasonal biscuit ranges grew by 11% and shoppers spent almost €2 million on Christmas puddings alone.
 
For the second Christmas in a row and the fourth consecutive period overall, Dunnes was Ireland’s leading retailer, accounting for 23% of the grocery market – its highest Christmas share since 2013. Dunnes was the only one of the three biggest retailers to see a rise in shopper numbers, with almost 31,000 extra households visiting its stores compared to last year. The retailer also performed strongly in the key battleground of Dublin, accounting for 27.2% of grocery sales in the capital.
 
Tesco and Supervalu recorded market shares of 22.3% and 21.8% respectively. Despite showing a share decline on last year, both posted sales growth with Tesco’s performance primarily bolstered by its private label ranges, which contributed 57% of overall growth, and its premium Tesco Finest offering, which grew by 4.8%. 
 
Aldi and Lidl were the strongest performing retailers over the 12 week period, with growth of 8.8% and 4.6% respectively meaning both retailers achieved their highest ever Christmas share. 

Commenting on the data, Consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, Douglas Faughnan said, "Irish shoppers showed a willingness to splash out over the festive break. Branded and premium private label ranges grew by 3.8% and 11.2% respectively as shoppers spoiled themselves and their families over Christmas. The market also benefited from continued inflation, with prices up 1.6% compared with last year." 
 
Source: www.businessworld.ie