Irish grocery price inflation holds at 6.8%

The figure for February shows continued high inflation but has dipped slightly from the 6.82% recorded in January

Mon, 09 Mar, 2026 - 20:37

Alan Healy

The price of groceries in Ireland rose 6.8% over the past year, according to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator.

The figure for February shows continued high inflation but has dipped slightly from the 6.82% recorded in January.

The year-on-year inflation figure covers the 12 weeks to February 22 and is based on over 30,000 identical products purchased by Irish shoppers.

The report shows take-home sales at Ireland’s grocers increased by 4.8% in a four-week period

The February period included a busy month of celebrations, with Shrove Tuesday, Valentine’s Day and The Six Nations Championship all taking place.

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Worldpanel by Numerator said main brands have seen a boost in both value and volume growth in the month, with shoppers spending an additional €159m on branded products year on year. Brands hold more than half of the market, at 50.9%, and shoppers turning to branded products when indulging has resulted in an additional €45.3m spend on branded wine and chocolate confectionery.

“Although shoppers are still feeling the pinch, this doesn’t mean that they have stopped turning to brands they know and trust, which highlights just how much shoppers value familiarity,” said head of retail for Ireland at Worldpanel by Numerator Eimear Faughnan.

Despite this, own-label products continue to perform strongly, with year-on-year growth of 2.9%. The strongest growth has been observed in premium own label, with shoppers spending an additional €8.7m on these ranges versus last year. Own label now holds 44.6% of value market share, down from 45.6% last year.

The report also tracks market share by the major chains and found Tesco grew by 0.3 percentage points for 24.2% of the market, including closer to Dunnes, Ireland's most popular chain at 24.5%.

SuperValu saw 0.5% value growth, with 19.5% share and increased footfall contributing an additional €33mto sales. Aldi grew by 1.4%, with a 4.7% increase in trip frequency, taking share to 10.5%.

Lidl posted double-digit growth for the third consecutive period, with growth of 12.2% contributing to its share increasing by 0.8 percentage points. Lidl was the only retailer to increase its volumes, up 2.9% compared to the same period last year.