Record €1.3bn Christmas grocery bill for Irish shoppers due to soaring prices

Grocery prices in Ireland increased by a record 15.4% compared to Christmas 2021.

Food price increases saw grocery sales in Ireland hit a record €1.3bn in the run-up to Christmas.

Shoppers spent an extra €95 on supermarket visits compared to Christmas 2021. 

Figures from analysts Kantar show take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased by 10% in the four weeks to December 25 with the average amount spent soaring by 13%.

The first Christmas since 2019 with no Covid-19 restrictions saw shoppers spend an additional €119m, making it a record-breaking month with sales of €1.3bn, and the strongest growth since February 2021.

Grocery inflation now stands at 15.4% for the 12-week period ending December 25, the highest level recorded and outstripping the UK, which saw a 14.2% increase.

Emer Healy, Senior Retail Analyst at Kantar the average Irish shopper spent €58 more on groceries during December than they did in 2021. "Nearly half of the population stocked up on festive treats on Friday 23rd December, the busiest shopping day of the year, with €94.4m going through the tills. This was €8.6m more than the busiest trading day last year," she said.

With Irish consumers keeping a close eye on their spending but also wanting to enjoy the festive period, they continued to trade down to supermarkets’ own-label products, with sales rising 11.1%, well ahead of the 4.2% increase in branded lines.

During December, sales of cold and flu products, as well as household cleaners, also grew as Irish shoppers spent an additional €828,000 on cold treatments and €547,000 on vitamins. A restriction-free Christmas also meant that more people were hosting others and cleaning their homes, resulting in shoppers spending an additional €6.8m on household and cleaning products.

All retailers saw strong value growth in the 12 weeks to 25 December. Dunnes continues to hold the highest share amongst all retailers at 23.7% with growth of 9.6% year-on-year.