Supermarkets double ad spend in grocery price war

SUPERMARKETS are doubling the amount they spend on advertising to outdo one another in the grocery price-war, according to the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI).

Figures show huge increases in advertising by Tesco Ireland, Centra, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, and SuperValu during the first nine months of the year.

Retailers are advertising more in newspapers and on television just weeks before the Christmas spending spree begins. The figures have worried food suppliers who yesterday called for a tightening of laws against below-cost sellers.