Sales of beef in Irish supermarkets grew by 19% in November, according to new data by Kantar.

The latest figures from the market research company show that take-home grocery sales growth in Ireland accelerated to 16.4% in a 12-week period, ending November 29.

As restrictions eased, pubs and restaurants opened and Christmas preparations began, leading to Irish shoppers spending over €1 billion in the grocery aisles during November alone.

Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, said that November was the busiest month for the grocers since the height of the previous national lockdown in June.

“An extra €164 million rang through the tills compared with last year, as Irish shoppers readjusted to eating most of their meals at home,” she said.

“With just a few weeks to go until the big day, Irish shopping baskets are looking distinctly festive.

“An additional €82,000 was spent on mince pies and sales of Christmas biscuits soared by €793,000 this November.

Beyond the seasonal snack aisles, roast dinners were the order of the day and sales of beef grew by 19%, while shoppers also spent an extra €12.2 million on vegetables over the past month.

And to wash it all down, alcohol sales boosted by 33% in November.

“Some were even inspired to branch out from traditional tipples – and budding mixologists contributed to an extra €721,000 spent on mixers this month,” Healy continued.

Branded products

Amid ongoing economic uncertainty, shoppers “continue to treat themselves to branded products”, spending an additional €85 million on household names in the latest four weeks of the data.

“It has been a tough year, so it’s no surprise that shoppers are looking for ways to indulge while we’re all spending more time at home.

One of the positives of national and regional restrictions this year has been learning to love the world on our doorstep and to shop local.

“This has led to a rise in sales for well-loved Irish brands like Avonmore and Keogh’s, both of which put in standout performances this month, as well as Brennans [Bread] and Denny.”

Supermarket share values

Sales of branded products over the latest 12 weeks increased by 18.6% across the market but they were particularly popular with Aldi and Lidl customers, accelerating by 32% and 52% respectively.

Lidl achieved the strongest growth of all the grocers this period at 24.4%, and grew its market share by 0.8% compared with last year. Aldi saw sales increase by 14% to achieve a 12% market share.

Dunnes holds the biggest share of the market at 22.1% this period. The grocer captured the highest spend per buyer among all the retailers, with shoppers parting with €7.76 more on average per trip than they did in the same period in 2019.

Tesco and SuperValu both experienced growth over the past three months of 17% and 18.5% respectively.

Online grocery sales rose by 74.8% in the latest 12 weeks, as shoppers spent an additional €54.8 million compared with last year. 

According to Healy, shoppers trying out online grocery shopping for the first time were a key driver of growth this period, accounting for an additional €31.5 million spent year-on-year.

Customers spent an average of €103 more when shopping for groceries online than they did last year.