Irish supermarkets add €2bn in annual sales during pandemic

Grocery price inflation ticking higher in recent weeks, survey shows

Some economists believe food and grocery prices will inevitably tick higher because food manufacturers and trucking firms are big users of energy. Picture: iStock

Irish supermarkets added almost €2bn to bring their annual sales to almost €13bn during the pandemic even as their sales declined in recent weeks on the reopening of other food and dining outlets, according to a major market research company.

The latest Kantar survey also showed grocery price inflation at the annual rate of 0.6% – as measured across 30,000  grocery items bought by households in the Republic – was starting to tick higher in recent weeks, possibly because of the huge surge in energy costs.