Irish households are set to spend €1bn on groceries this December for the first time.
Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said Christmas day falling on a Tuesday will give retailers a festive bonus.
“As the 25 December fell on a Monday last year, Friday and Saturday were the two biggest trading days for the major grocers. However, with the big day coming on Tuesday this time around, we expect most households to do the bulk of their Christmas grocery shopping on the Saturday and Sunday – with extra sales on the Monday representing a welcome Christmas bonus for retailers,” said Kantar’s consumer insight director Douglas Faughnan.
Mr Faughnan was speaking as new Kantar figures showed grocers had their strongest period since the summer heatwave in the 12 weeks to December 2.
Dunnes Stores maintained its place as Ireland’s largest supermarket by market share, holding off stiff competition from SuperValu.
Dunnes had 22.4pc of the market in the 12 weeks to December 2, with SuperValu up sharply on 21.7pc. Tesco was in third with 21.6pc.
“Promotions continue to play an important role among the traditional retailers as they try to attract new shoppers and encourage customers to spend more in store. SuperValu has performed strongest here, with the average value of a trip to the retailer increasing by €1.56 to €24.20 this period,” Mr Faughnan said.
“However, Dunnes’ long-running vouchering program means shoppers spend significantly more on each trip there than at any other retailer. Dunnes’ average spend per trip of €42.60 is one of the main reasons the retailer has retained the number one spot this period.”
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