Grocery inflation pushes cost of Christmas dinner up 3%

The cost of a Christmas dinner for four people has risen 3.2 per cent due to grocery inflation.

The latest figures from Kantar found grocery price inflation was 8.6 per cent in the 12 weeks to November 26th.

While the inflation figure remains high, the results mark the seventh consecutive month in which the rate of inflation has fallen.

Grocery sales are expected to surpass €1.4 billion this month, with December 23rd expected to be the busiest day in supermarkets across the country.

In the run-up to Christmas, Kantar found shoppers are reaching for branded goods, with an extra €92 million being spent on such products in recent weeks.

Purchases of seasonal biscuits and take-home confectionery were up 12.9 and 12.4 per cent respectively.

Over the 12-week period, Dunnes Stores held the largest market share (24.2 per cent) followed by Tesco (23 per cent) and SuperValu (20.6 per cent).

Lidl had the fourth-largest share, with 13.2 per cent, ahead of Aldi's 11.7 per cent.