Sales of premium private-label products rose by 10.5% in Ireland in the 12 weeks to 1 December, new data from Kantar has shown.
The surge in private-label spend was also accompanied by an additional €104 million being spent on branded lines – including €18 million more on branded biscuits and beer & cider – in the period, as shoppers started to stock up early for Christmas.
November was the biggest sales month of the year so far in Ireland, with the number of shopping trips up 1.4% compared to the previous year, and take-home grocery sales in the fourth quarter weeks to 1 December rising by 5%, to €1.24 billion.
Busy Christmas
“Last year, we saw a whopping €87m go through the tills on the 23 December, and we’re expecting this again with Monday 23 December set to be the single busiest day for the supermarkets this year," commented Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar.
"But there are clear signs that Irish shoppers are stocking up early especially when it comes to festive favourites. Shoppers spent an additional €4.5 million on assorted biscuits and crackers compared to the previous month, while 15% of all households bought mince pies and more than 36% purchased seasonal chocolates in November."
Online spending also rose, with Irish shoppers spending an additional €28.7 million online, with value sales up 15.4% year-on-year. The number of online shopping trips also increased, by 17%, as shoppers looked to online platforms to save time during the busy Christmas lead-in.
Top Grocers
In terms of the best-performing grocers during the period, Dunnes Stores held 24.9% of the market in the 12 weeks to 1 December, with sales growth of 7.8% year-on-year.
In second, Tesco held 23.6% of the market, while third-placed SuperValu was on 19.9%. Lidl had 13% of the market, while Aldi sat on 11.2%. The discounters saw sales rise by 5.9% and 2.5%, respectively, year-on-year.
Grocery inflation stood at 3.6% over the 12 weeks to 1 December 2024.
