Irish consumers shelled out €44m on Easter eggs and €29m on fresh lamb over the Easter break.

Seasonal spending lifted the total value of grocery spending to €208.2m in Easter week, a record according to Kantar Worldpanel, which tracks the sector.

Dunnes was the largest retailer for the eight consecutive period, but close rivals Tesco and Supervalu both recorded growth.

The big spending the run up to Easter combined with St Patrick’s Day helped sales across the sector grow by 4.1pc in the 12 weeks to 21 April 2019.

“Shopper visits to the major retailers grew by 1.3pc on last year, yielding an additional €28.7m of value.  Consumers spent a total of €44m on Easter eggs leading up to Easter Sunday, while fresh lamb, a traditional favourite, generated €29m,” according to Douglas Faughnan, consumer insight director at Kantar.

Dunnes posted sales growth of 6.1pc for the period– the highest increase the retailer has seen since November 2016. That was boosted by its push towards premium items through its Simply Better collection and partnerships with specialists like James Whelan Butchers and Sheridans Cheesemongers, Douglas Faughnan said.

SuperValu’s return to growth in the period was bolstered by a robust performance in fresh food.  Fresh lamb, fish and beef sales were up by 13.2pc, 12.8pc and 11pc respectively – underpinning the retailer’s reputation as a traditionally strong performer among Easter dinner staples.

Aldi and Lidl, while continuing to perform strongly in Dublin, are making major gains outside of the capital as well.

Source: Read Full Article