Grocery inflation in Ireland declined for the tenth month in a row to 4.7%, falling by 1.2 percentage points from 5.9% in January, according to the latest data from Kantar.
Take-home grocery sales increased by 5.4% in the four weeks to 18 February as grocery price inflation boosted value sales growth rather than consumers buying more.
In this period, the average price per pack rose 3.7%, while volumes per trip fell by 3.1%, Kantar added.
Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar, commented, “It's great news for Irish consumers as inflation levels have reached their lowest point since April 2022. This gradual decline is expected to continue throughout 2024.”
Private Label And Promotional Products
With a market share of 46%, own-label ranges saw sales growing ahead of the market at 7.5% year-on-year. Shoppers spent an additional €112 million on the segment on a year-on-year basis.
Sales of premium own-label ranges increased 12.5% year on year as shoppers spent an additional €19 million on these lines.
Sales of branded goods increased 4.7% over the 12 weeks, growing slightly behind the total market.
Healy stated, “As consumers continue to closely manage their household budgets and look for the best value, it’s no surprise that own-label goods continue to perform strongly.
“We saw this behaviour over the course of 2023 and it’s clear to see this is now a more established norm for shoppers into 2024.”
Promotional offers increased after the post-Christmas slowdown as retailers looked for ways to encourage shoppers through their doors, Kantar added.
Over 27% of all spending in the 12 weeks to 18 February 2024 was made on items with some promotional offer, up 3.9% versus last year, with Dunnes, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl witnessing strong growth in sales on promotion.
Other Highlights
More than half (58%) of Irish households purchased boxed and gifting chocolates over the 12 weeks to 18 February 2024.
Healy added, “We saw volumes of boxed and gifting chocolates up 3.7%, with shoppers spending an additional €1.7 million year-on-year. As Valentine’s Day fell mid-week this year and many shoppers managing household budgets, some people chose to show their love at home.
“Shoppers spent an additional €4.3 million on chilled ready meals, €1.8 million on chilled desserts, and €916,000 on sparkling wine.”
Shoppers also indulged in Pancake Tuesday with a combined additional spending of €2 million on flour, eggs and chocolate spread.
Online sales for the period increased 17.3% year on year with shoppers spending an additional €28.3 million on the channel compared to last year.
The increase in online spending was driven by more frequent trips, which contributed an additional €7.7 million, Kantar added.
The online channel continued to attract new shoppers with 18.4% of Irish households purchasing groceries online alongside volume growth of 0.5% year on year.
Top Retailers
With nearly a quarter of the market share (24.3%), Dunnes Stores emerged as Ireland's top retailer with growth of 8.9% year on year.
The retailer's performance was boosted by more frequent trips, which increased 5.9% in this period, contributing an additional €46.7 million to its overall performance.
Tesco emerged in the second spot with a market share of 23.5%.
It saw the strongest frequency growth amongst all retailers for another month in a row, which contributed an additional €91.8 million to its overall performance.
With a fifth of the market share(20.6%), SuperValu saw growth of 4.2% as shoppers made the most trips in-store (an average of 20.9 trips) when compared to all retailers.
Lidl's market share stood at 12.8% with more frequent trips contributing an additional €34.7 million to the retailer’s overall performance.
Aldi held 10.9% of the market with more frequent trips and new shopper arrivals contributing an additional €5.2 million to the overall performance.
