Inflation in Irish supermarkets continues to ease and is now running at just under 4 per cent compared with a rate of more than 6 per cent recorded earlier this year.
The drop in inflation was tracked by analysts Worldpanel by Numerator. It also noted a surge in online shopping in recent weeks as some shoppers sought to maximise time in the sun by getting others to do their shopping for them.
Worldpanel said inflation was 3.9 per cent, down two percentage points on the same period last year with a similar decline recorded when compared with the spring.
The latest figures point to a bounce in take-home grocery sales of 5.8 per cent in the four weeks to August 9th when compared with the same period last summer.
The warm weather in July and much of August was reflected in shoppers stocking up and making more trips to stores as they bought products to enjoy the summer heatwave at home.
“This summer’s warm weather has clearly put a spring in Irish shoppers’ step, with trips, volumes and spend all climbing, which will be positive news for Ireland’s grocers,” said Worldpanel’s Emer Healy.
She said the impact of the weather on shopping habits was also reflected at a category level, with typical summer fare seeing a boost over the latest 12-week period.
Irish shoppers spent nearly €197 million on alcoholic beverages, up 5.6 per cent on last summer. They also spent an additional €36.1 million on goods typically associated with warmer weather, including soft drinks, antipasti, ice cream and sun care.
Branded goods performed strongly, growing 12.2 per cent in value and adding €200 million in this period, with value share hitting 49.8 per cent. Own label grew more modestly at 4.3 per cent, adding €71 million.
Premium own label ranges also held their own, up 13.6 per cent in value, with shoppers spending an additional €19 million on retailers’ own ranges.
E-commerce also benefited from the weather, as more shoppers opted to get their shopping delivered to their front door.
Irish shoppers made nearly eight online orders on average over the 12 weeks, leading to online sales jumping by 27.6 per cent over that time and shoppers spending an additional €54.1 million compared to the same period last year.
Over the latest 12 weeks, Dunnes Stores continue to lead its rivals with a market share of 24.1 per cent, and year-on-year sales growth of 8.4 per cent.
Tesco was in second place on 23.8 per cent with year-on-year value growth of 7.9 per cent.
SuperValu’s currently holds 19.4 per cent share, up 3.8 per cent. Lidl’s market share currently stands at 14.8 per cent, up 10.3 per cent versus last year while Aldi is on 10.9 per cent.