'Social calendars overflowing': Irish consumers spent €7.2m on alcohol during August

Eva Osborne

Irish social calendars have been overflowing with consumers enjoying the last of the summer sun, spending a whopping €7.2 million extra on alcohol and an additional €1.3 million on suncare.

According to the latest grocery data from Worldpanel by Numerator, shoppers spent an additional €58.7 million on branded products, significantly up on the last 12-week period.

August was a month of dancing, singing, and celebrating as Irish shoppers contributed an additional €68.2 million to the grocery market’s overall performance, thanks to a host of festivals, sell-out concerts, and the Galway Races.

Grocery inflation continued to rise, increasing from 5.43 per cent in the previous 12-week period to 5.86 per cent now.

Business development director at Worldpanel by Numerator, Emer Healy, said: “August kicked off with a bang with the All Together Now Festival, Galway Races and the upcoming Oasis comeback and Robbie Williams filling Croke Park.

“Irish social calendars have been overflowing with consumers enjoying the last of the summer sun, spending a whopping €7.2 million extra on alcohol and an additional €1.3 million on suncare.

"Shoppers also indulged in other ways, spending an additional €8.9 million on take-home soft drinks and chocolate.

"With such busy calendars, it’s clear that shoppers needed a bit of an energy boost with nearly €1 million more spent on sports and energy drinks compared to the same time last year.”

Retailer performance

Over the latest 12 weeks, Dunnes holds 23.5 per cent market share, with sales growth of 6.3 per cent year-on-year.

Dunnes shoppers returned to store more often, up 2.2 per cent, which contributed €16.7 million to their overall performance.

Tesco holds 23.4 per cent of the market, with value growth of 5.6 per cent year-on-year. Shoppers increased their trips to store by 2.9 per cent, which contributed €22.3 million to overall performance.

SuperValu holds 19.7 per cent of the market with growth of 4.2 per cent. Consumers made the most shopping trips to this grocer, averaging 25.6 trips over the latest 12 weeks up 9.6 per cent year-on-year.

This increase in the number of shopping trips contributed an additional €61.6 million to its performance.

Lidl holds 14.2 per cent of the market with growth of 9.5 per cent. Lidl also saw shoppers pick up more volume in store, up 3.1 per cent, contributing an additional €13.8 million to overall performance.

Aldi holds 11.8 per cent market share, up 4.4 per cent. Increased store trips and new shoppers drove an additional €13.3 million in sales.