New figures show that shoppers spent an additional €14m on typical summer fare, including sausages, coleslaw, antipasti, non-alcoholic drinks, mixers, pickles, beer and cider and ice cream, in the four weeks to May 18.
The latest figures from Kantar also show that consumers spent additional €50,000 on suncare compared to this time last year.
Kantar said that warmer weather, longer days and time spent outdoors is driving consumer spending this month as take-home value sales in Ireland over the four week period increased by 6.6% compared to the same time last year.
Shoppers were in-store an average of 22.3 times in May, contributing an additional €17m to the market’s overall performance.
Today’s Kantar figures also show that grocery price inflation stands at 4.96%. Grocery inflation has increased 2.4 percentage points since the same time last year.
Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar, said rising prices are influencing both sales performance and consumer behaviour.
“Although households have been adjusting their spending for some time now, what we’re seeing is a clear ‘tipping point; when inflation goes above 3% to 4%. This is when shoppers really start to feel it in their wallets, and they change their behaviour,” she said.
“As a result, supermarkets are having to be more creative in the way they attract shoppers in-store and online – offering quality products at the right price,” she added.
Shoppers spent an additional €124m on promotional lines over the last 12 weeks compared to the same time last year, according to Kantar, which recorded the highest share of packs on promotion over 22% – the highest level since May 2021.
While the total promotional market grew by 17.6%, key categories including table sauces, skin care, deodorant, soft drinks, frozen confectionery and chocolate all grew ahead of this with double digit growth.
Kantar said that despite the added pressure on household budgets, Irish shoppers continue to prioritise quality.
This is evident with both brands and own label performing strongly – up 5.6% and 5.2% respectively – with shoppers spending an additional €174m on these ranges compared to last year.
Brands still hold a higher value share of the total market at 47.4%, compared to own label with 47.1% value share, Kantar noted.
Today’s figures show that Dunnes holds a 23.8% market share, with sales growth of 7.2% year-on-year. Dunnes shoppers picked up more volume per trip, up 0.7% alongside making more frequent trips, up 1.8%, which contributed a combined €20.2m to their overall performance.
Tesco holds 23.3% of the market, with value growth of 7.1% year-on-year. Shoppers increased their trips to store by 5.3%, which contributed €41.3m to its overall performance.
Meanwhile, SuperValu holds 20.3% of the market with growth of 5.4%. Consumers made the most shopping trips to this grocer, averaging 24.9 trips over the latest 12 weeks, which help to contribute an additional €38.9m to its performance.
Lidl holds a 13.8% market share, an increase of 6.3% as larger trips drove an additional €12.9m in sales.
And Aldi holds a 11.7% market share, up 6.8%. Increased trips to store and new shoppers drove an additional €24.2m in sales, Kantar said.
