Grocery sales up 5.5% as shoppers 'in full flow' for festive season
Grocery sales in Ireland rose by 5.5% in the four weeks to November 22025, according to the latest data from Worldpanel by Numerator.
Despite rising prices, the data shows shoppers spent an additional €64 million on groceries and were out in-store more often over the four weeks, boosting overall sales by €5.8 million.
Grocery price inflation is now standing at 6.06%, falling slightly from last month by 0.5%.
Shoppers
Emer Healy, business development director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said shoppers are in full flow for the festive season as they begin to stock up on seasonal favorites.
"It’s that time of year again as Christmas ads light up our screens and supermarkets fill their shelves with festive fare, signalling that the countdown to the big day has begun.
"Shoppers are already getting into the spirit, spending an additional €8 million on boxed chocolates compared with last month.
"Retailers are acutely aware of the financial pressures that many households are under right now, especially with this year’s budget, and are keen to show how they’re delivering value for money with a big focus on promotions.
"Nearly a quarter (22%) of all grocery sales are on promotion, up nearly 5.9% versus this time last year.
"Promotional activity typically intensifies in the lead-up to Christmas, so this is likely to persist well into December," she said.
Grocery sales
The data shows that own label products saw strong growth over the last 12 weeks, up 6.3%, with shoppers spending an additional €99 million on these ranges versus last year.
Premium own label ranges continue to see strong growth, up 15.3%, with shoppers spending an additional €18.5 million on these ranges compared to last year.
Brands continue to grow behind the total market with growth slowing to 5.2% in the last 12 weeks, but Irish shoppers still spent an additional €85.4 million on branded products.
Brands currently hold 48.2% value share of the total market, the highest share since February, showing how shoppers are more likely to treat themselves in the lead-up to Christmas.
"Shoppers are usually looking for both value and quality – not just the lowest price – particularly at Christmas.
"I think we all like to indulge a little at this time of year and, despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, many have managed to find a balance by choosing retailers’ premium own-label ranges as an affordable way to treat themselves," Healy said.
Retailers
Online grocery sales continued to grow, at a significantly faster rate compared to last month, up 6.4% year-on-year to take 5.6% value share of the market.
Shoppers spent an additional €13.1 million online during the period.
The data shows that Dunnes holds 24.6% market share, ahead of Tesco on 23.8%, SuperValu with 19.4%, Lidl on 14% and Aldi holding 11.2%.
