Coca-Cola has been named the best-selling brand in Ireland for the 15th year in a row, according to the latest edition of the Checkout Top 100 Brands, produced by Checkout magazine in association with Nielsen.
Confectionery brand Cadbury Dairy Milk places second, with Brennans bread (3rd), Avonmore milk (4th) and Lucozade (5th) rounding off the top five.
The Top 100 Brands list is compiled based on value sales through mainstream grocery outlets in the Republic of Ireland.
Irish Performance
Irish brands have performed strongly in the list, Checkout says, with crisp brand Tayto (6th) and biscuit manufacturer Jacob's (7th) joining Brennans and Avonmore in the top ten.
Other Irish brands making headway in this year’s list include Fulfil, in which Hershey recently took a minority stake, which rises eight places this year, from the 49th to 41st position. Carroll Meats has also made a big impact on the 2019 rankings, rising seven places, from 55th to 48th place this year.
Three Irish brands also make their debut in the listing: VIT-HIT, which takes 73rd position, Fitzgeralds Family Bakery (formerly Country Kitchens), which claims 90th place, and Stafford’s Bakeries, which enters the Top 100 in 93rd place.
“What we are seeing in this year’s Top 100 Brands ranking is an overall trend of steady growth for many FMCG brands, and some significant growth for others,” says Maev Martin, editor, Checkout magazine.
“The relative stability of the Top 100 Brands’ top-ten membership indicates that well-established and home-made brands are holding their own in the Irish market. Despite the continuing uncertainty regarding Brexit, the growing supermarket’s own brands sector, legislative changes in relation to packaging, and last year’s sugar tax, Ireland’s best-known and loved brands continue to innovate and thrive.”
Big Movers
This year's Top 100 list also saw some big movers year-on-year, with drinks brand Monster rising 13 places to 25th, Pepsi up ten places to 34th, MiWadi rising ten places to 46th, and Cadbury Twirl rising ten places to 63rd.
Cushelle, a paper products brand, was the biggest mover, rising 21 places from 99th position in 2018 to 78th in 2019.
The Top 100 Brands listings also shows the top performing grocery categories in the Irish marketplace - led by Confectionery, Milk, and Bakery, in that order, as well as Ireland's best performing alcoholic drinks brands.
Heineken leads the way in the Top 50 Alcohol brands list, for the sixth year in a row, while Santa Rita is Ireland’s biggest selling wine, topping the Top 20 Wines list. Smirnoff leads the Top 20 Spirits list, while Heineken is also Ireland’s top selling beer, leading the Top 20 LADs (Long Alcoholic Drinks) list.
"Thanks to the healthy labour market and last summer's strong performance - and despite the ongoing Brexit uncertainty, and the dip in consumer confidence this year - it has been another strong year for brands,” says Karen Mooney, Nielsen Ireland Connect Leader.
“The overall picture shows that Irish consumers are still willing to spend on grocery items, with the value sales of the Top 100 brands alone increasing by more than €90 million."
Checkout Top 100 Brands 2019*: The Top 10
1. Coca-Cola
2. Cadbury Dairy Milk
3. Brennans
4. Avonmore
5. Lucozade
6. Tayto
7. Jacob’s
8. 7UP
9. Extra
10. Red Bull
* Produced in association with Nielsen
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
