Sales of summer items as a result of unseasonably warm temperatures added €27m to the grocery sector in the 12 weeks to 17 June, according to latest figures from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.
Sales of "summer essentials" such as sun care products, barbeque items and ice cream increased by 9% across grocery retailers during the period, which contributed to overall growth of 2.1%.
Commenting on the trend, Director at Kantar Worldpanel David Berry said: "Alcoholic drinks have also experienced a surge in demand – cider has seen impressive growth of 14% and beers and lagers are up 5%.
"The influence of the hot weather on sales of summer essentials looks even more impressive when you compare this to overall market growth at 2.1%."
In the three months to 17 June, Tesco continued its recent strong growth performance, increasing sales by 3.7%.
Mr Berry said: "Tesco remains the leader of the pack among the retailers, increasing its market share to 22.4% – a jump of 0.3 percentage points. Over the past 12 weeks, 1.3 million customers chose to shop at Tesco – the highest reach of all the retailers.
"Although the grocer has not notably increased this shopper base compared to this time last year, Tesco has encouraged customers to add an extra item to their baskets every time they shop – upping their average spend by 80c to €25.50," he added.
SuperValu remains in second position among Irish-based grocery retailers, with sales growth of 0.1% leading to a 21.8% market share.
According to Kantar, the retailer "continues to have a loyal customer following, with consumers shopping more frequently at SuperValu stores".
Dunnes Stores posted sales growth of 2.6% during the period, increasing its market share by 0.1% to 21.7%.
The grocer’s success has come from "encouraging shoppers to up the value of their baskets to an average of €42.60 – an increase of over €2.50 compared to this time last year," Mr Berry said.
Among the discount retailers. Lidl holds a market share of 11.7% – its highest since October 2017, and with sales growth of 2.4%, Aldi has upped its share to 11.4%.
The two grocers have seen their strongest recent growth in Munster.
