Grocery price inflation in October reached its highest level since December 2023, hitting 6.5%, new figures show today.
This marks an increase from 6.3% during the last 12-week inflation period, figures from Worldpanel by Numerator reveal.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office earlier this month show that overall inflation rose to an 18-month high of 2.7% in September
Today's figures also reveal that take-home grocery sales in Ireland rose by 6.1% in the four weeks to October 5.
Worldpanel by Numerator said that shoppers spent an additional €67.6m on groceries in October, picking up more volume per trip, which rose by 1.8% compared to last year.
Emer Healy, the Business Development Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said the next few weeks is a busy time for shopper between Halloween and Christmas.
"But with the latest budget for 2026 being announced against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, there will be more pressure on shoppers and it may have an impact on their discretionary spending," she said.
"The end of one-off payments such as the energy credit and double child benefit, along with rising fuel and other household costs, will put extra pressure on many families, especially as tax bands remain unchanged and some credits are no longer available," she added.
Today's figures show that spending on promotional offers climbed to 21.9% value share in the market, the highest level seen since this June as shoppers look for ways to stretch their budgets.
Worldpanel by Numerator noted that promotional activity typically intensifies in the lead-up to the festive season, so this trend is likely to persist into December.
Today's figures show that spending on promotion jumped by 10.2% over the latest 12 weeks, outpacing the total market which saw growth of 6.2%.
Emer Healy said that shoppers are increasingly relying on promotions to offset rising costs, resulting in an additional €71.5m spent compared to the same time last year.
"Over the last three years there has been a big jump in indulgent categories' sales on promotions with chocolate, soft drinks and biscuits all growing on promotion, up 62%, 60% and 30% respectively versus 2022. Overall, Irish shoppers are spending €145m more on promotions than they were two years ago," she added.
Today's report also shows that Dunnes holds a 24.4% market share, up on the last 12-week period, with sales growth of 6.2% year-on-year. Larger trips contributed an additional €5.1m to its overall performance.
Tesco holds 23.7% of the market, with value growth of 7.1% year-on-year. Shoppers increased their trips to stores by 0.8% and, together with new shoppers, contributed an additional €27.3m to the grocer's overall performance.
Meanwhile, SuperValu holds 19.2% of the market with growth of 4.6%. Consumers made the most shopping trips to this grocer, averaging 23.9 trips over the latest 12 weeks. The increase in shopping trips contributed an additional €1.6m to its performance.
And Lidl holds 14.1% of the market with growth of 9.2%, the fastest growth among all retailers once again. Its shoppers also bought more with volumes up 1.7%, contributing an additional €7.5m to overall performance.
Finally Aldi holds 11.4% market share, up 4.1%. Increased store trips and new shoppers drove an additional €8.8m in sales for the supermarket chain.
