Irish grocery inflation rose 3.7% in the 12 weeks to 17 March, down 16% compared to March last year according to the latest figures from Kantar.
The marketing researcher reported that take home grocery sales rose 4.5% in the 4 weeks to 17 March, with €1.1 billion running though the tolls.
Shoppers spent €47.8 million more in take-home grocery compared to the same period last year.
However, increased shopping value is more so due to price increases than volumes, as the average price per pack rose 4% and volumes per trip fell 1.2%.
Easter Eggs
Shoppers are still paying special attention to promotions with the increased cost of living. Over 51% of value sales for Easter eggs this year were sold on promotion.
Despite the search for value, Easter egg sales produced high income for retailers.
Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar said, “During the month of March nearly half of all Irish households purchased Easter eggs, which is up 13.1 percentage points versus last year.
“Shoppers spent a mammoth €24.6 million on Easter Eggs and which was an additional €9.3 million versus last year.
“However, many also opted for other popular Easter treats spending €1.1 million on hot cross buns, which are up 28% year-on-year.”
Promotions And Labels
As a result of consumer concern around costs, retailers are focusing on promotions as well as own label products.
Own label grew ahead of total market at 5.5% year-on-year, holding value share of 48% with shoppers spending an additional €8.5 million year-on-year.
Premium own label products accounted for an additional €172 million spent, an increase of 12.3% compared to last year.
Brands also saw growth of 3.8%, though this was slightly behind the total market.
Online sales were up 16.7% year-on-year, with shoppers spending an additional €26.5 million in that sector.
New shoppers and larger shopping trips were responsible for boosting online by €16.3 million.
Healy said, “This is the eleventh month in a row that there’s been a drop in inflation, which will be very welcome news for consumers.
“While it’s the lowest inflation level we have seen for two years, shoppers in Ireland are still on the hunt for value with over 25% of value sales coming from promotions.”
Market Share
The retailers with the most market share remained unchanged from last month.
Dunnes Stores still holds the most with 24% and growth of 7.7% year-on-year. Tesco maintains 22.8% of the market with 7.5% growth.
SuperValu has 20.4% of total market share with 3.1% growth year-on-year.
Discounters Lidl and Aldi round out the top five with 13.5% and 11.5% respectively.
