Loyalty of Cork shoppers a key factor behind expansion of Penneys city centre store

CORK shoppers have been described as some of the “savviest in the country”.

It comes as Penneys have just released volume three of their Pulse of the Nation report, which reveals how shopping habits are affected by the cost of living crisis.

The report looks closely at families with children under 18 to see how they are being acutely affected, explaining: “With dependents to cater for and support, parents are finding it harder than ever to make their money go further and are spending it more wisely than most people as a result.”

The report shows that consumers are actively seeking out warmer clothing in a bid to keep the heating off and costs down.

An example of this is the year-on-year growth in Penneys’ Velvet Plush Leggings, with sales up 39% from the previous winter.

“With one of our biggest Penneys stores in the heart of Cork city, we have seen first-hand that Cork shoppers are some of the savviest in the country,” Hazel O’Connor, manager of Penneys Patrick Street Store said.

“The value focused mindset that we see across Ireland is particularly evident in Cork, where products like fleeces and velvet fleece-lined leggings have flown off the shelves in the winter months, with people looking for smart ways to cut heating bills and stay warm while they are out and about.

“We’ve also consistently heard while talking to our customers about the different pressures they are under, particularly parents, which ultimately led to our focus last year to lower prices on hundreds of items essential kidswear clothing,” she added.

“The loyalty shoppers have shown us in Cork has also been a major factor in our plans to expand our Patrick Street store in order to cater for increasing demand.”

Cancelled

According to the report, around 70% of the public said that they are treating themselves less, socialising less, and eating out or getting takeaways less, while almost half of adults have cancelled entertainment subscriptions, and almost two thirds of shoppers have changed to a more affordable grocery retailer.

The research also asked participants what their average spend was across a number of different categories and in each case, consumers without dependent children outspent parents every time, by around twice as much for eating out and sporting events.

Energy bills are still top of mind for the public with almost nine in 10 having taken steps to manage their energy bills last winter.