Easter week 2020 saw Irish FMCG sales surge by 14%, compared to 2019, new data shows.
According to a new research conducted by Nielsen on behalf of Checkout, sales reached €371 million, during Easter week ending 12 April, making it the highest value sales week of the year to date.
Comparing Easter 2020 against Easter 2019 (week ending 21 April) highest growth was seen in frozen food, which grew by 63%.
Alcohol Sales Spike
Alcohol also saw extraordinary growth, with sales 44% higher than sales in the week ending Easter Sunday 2020 versus 2019.
Within alcohol, biggest growth was seen in stout which spiked by 177% during Easter week 2020, the data showed.
Strong growth was also seen in lager which grew by 78% to €15.3 million, table wines which grew by 27% to €15.6 million, and sparkling wine and champagne which grew by 21% to €1.1 million.
Easter Dinner
Traditional Easter dinner was top of mind for consumers with sales of frozen poultry reaching €2 million, which is a 631% compared to Easter week 2019.
Other Easter dinner categories also saw growth versus Easter 2019 with sales of gravy up by 59% to €590,000, turkey increased by 14% to €675,000, potatoes rose by 14% to €3.4 million, lamb was up 11% to €1.3 million and sales of mint sauce increased by 8% to €32,500.
Easter also prompted consumers to enjoy more ‘Full Irish’ breakfasts, with sales of black & white pudding increasing 40%, prepacked sausages increased by 31% and pre-packed bacon was up 37% in the week ending Easter Sunday 2020 versus 2019.
Confectionary
However, one category which seemed to suffer this Easter was confectionery, which only grew by 1.4% compared to the same week ending on Easter Sunday in 2019.
"While some categories including take home ice cream grew by 57%, Easter week 2020 saw a 7% decline in sales for Easter eggs compared to last year, perhaps as a result of less gatherings and less gifting," noted Nicole Farren, senior account manager, Retailer Service, Nielsen.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
