Latest data from Kantar shows that take-home value sales in Ireland increased by 3.4% over the four weeks to 23 March compared to the same period last year. This is the slowest growth rate since November 2022, despite shoppers enjoying St Patrick’s Day celebrations and Shrove Tuesday in March. The average volume per trip also continued to fall by 2.9% in March as shoppers preferred to shop little and often.
The weaker figures came amid higher grocery price inflation in Ireland. It now stands at 4.52%, up 1.16 percentage points compared to the same 12-week period last year.
Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar, commented: “The continued rise in average prices – up 3.8% year-on-year – is contributing to a slowdown in sales, having a marked impact on consumer habits. With a combination of higher grocery prices and rising household costs, supermarkets are focusing on promotions to attract shoppers both in-store and online.”
Kantar’s data shows promotional sales increased in the latest 12 weeks, with shoppers spending an additional €99m on promotional lines compared to the same period last year. Promotional sales currently hold 23% of total grocery spending compared to just 19% during the same time last year.
Alongside promotional activities, retailers also appear to be pushing own-label products as an alternative to brands. As a result, own-label sales were up by 4.5%, with shoppers spending an additional €71.9m on these ranges, accounting for 47.6% of all value sales. However, brands also remain popular with Irish shoppers, growing 4.5% compared to the same period last year and representing 47% of the total value market share.
Despite a late Easter this year, St Patrick’s Day and Shrove Tuesday helped boost seasonal sales in Ireland. Shoppers spent an additional €6.8m on beer, spirits and wine combined, along with an extra €590k on hot cross buns, pancakes, sugar and sweet spreads, compared to last year. Sales of fish were also up as shoppers spent an additional €930k on fresh fish and ready meals combined.
“It seems that this year’s late Easter is prompting shoppers to delay the temptation to buy Easter eggs too early,” said Healy. “Irish shoppers spent €7.5m less on Easter eggs in March compared to last year. But when we compare February 2025 with March 2025, we can see a significant increase in sales of €18.4m. This is the same for total chocolate confectionary with year-on-year sales down 12.3%, but month-on-month spending up an additional €20m”
Meanwhile, online sales rose 10.8% year-on-year, with shoppers spending an additional €20.8m through this channel. Over the 12-week period, shoppers purchased their groceries more often online, up 11.4%.
Looking at the performance of individual retailers, Dunnes’ market share increased to 24.4% after the chain saw sales growth of 6% year-on-year. Its shoppers picked up more volume per trip, with the strongest increase compared to the other retailers, up 1.9% versus last year, contributing a combined €15.6m to its overall performance.
Tesco held 23.2% of the market, with value growth of 6%. Shoppers increased their trips to stores, which contributed €33.6m to its overall performance.
SuperValu controlled 20.2% of the market with growth of 5.4%. Consumers made the most shopping trips to this grocer, averaging 24.5 trips over the latest 12 weeks. The increase in the number of shopping trips alongside new shopper arrivals contributed an additional €44.4m to its performance.
Lidl’s share held steady at 13.5% after delivering sales growth of 4.7%. Larger trips drove an additional €3.3m in sales. Aldi’s share was also unchanged at 11.6% after growth of 4.9%. Increased trips to its store drove an additional €13.9m in sales.
NAM Implications:
- Underlying trends continue in terms of promos to attract & hold custom.
- And drift from brands to own-label despite traditional brand loyalties.
- Meanwhile, the mults are holding the discounters in check in terms of share growth.
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