Irish shoppers are getting into the festive spirit with an extra fresh €280,000 being spent on fresh turkeys.
To accompany this, sales of stuffing have also benefited by an extra €192,000.
Kantar has released its latest data on the Irish grocery market for the period ending October 31.
The figures show that overall grocery sales dropped by 4.8% during the past 12 weeks as restrictions eased and people spent more time eating meals on the go.
However, growth remains strong compared with 2019 and sales were up 8.9% versus the equivalent period pre-pandemic.
Irish shoppers embrace festivities as restrictions ease
Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, said that with October bringing the easing of restrictions, shoppers have been making the most of newfound freedoms.
“Dining out is firmly back on the table, bringing a welcome boost to the hospitality sector as friends and families returned to bars and restaurants,” Healy said.
“With fewer meals eaten around the kitchen table, we’ve seen supermarket sales drop by 8.4% in the latest four weeks.
“Irish shoppers spent €86.1 million less on groceries this month compared with the equivalent period last year when the nation was in lockdown.”
After months of restrictions, trick or treating was back on the agenda this year and shoppers put in extra effort to mark the occasion, Healy said.
Sales of pumpkins soared by 59% and an extra €2 million was spent on confectionery over the past 12 weeks.
Meanwhile Christmas has now “certainly arrived in the supermarket aisles”.
“With Christmas ads appearing on our screens earlier than ever, and retailers giving seasonal staples a prominent position on shelves, Irish shoppers are getting into the festive spirit,” Healy continued.
“Seasonal biscuits and chocolate proved too tempting to resist, with sales growing by 6.2% and 17.4% year-on-year.
“Fresh turkey and stuffing also benefited and shoppers spent an extra €280,000 and €192,000 on the Christmas dinner must-haves.”
Grocery market shares
Dunnes tops the table as the largest grocer this period with a 22.6% share of the market.
Aldi announced an extensive vegan range for Christmas 2021 in a bid to win customers in the coming months, Healy noted. The grocer proved especially popular with young families who spent an extra €200,000 in store.
SuperValu holds a 22% share of the market as its shoppers made an average of 20 trips to the grocer over the past 12 weeks, the highest figure among all the retailers.
Tesco holds a 21.3% share, helped by the recruitment of new shoppers as well as more frequent visits from existing customers.
Lidl held its market share steady at 12.7%.