Dunnes Stores Leads As December Claims Busiest Shopping Month Since Pandemic

Dunnes Stores continued to lead the way, as Irish shoppers saw their biggest spending month since March 2020 in December, Kantar reported this week.

The latest grocery data shows that take-home value sales over the four weeks to 29 December increased by 4.4%, to reach nearly €1.4 billion.

This made December 2024 the biggest sales month of the year, despite grocery price inflation increasing by 3.6%.

Shoppers also made more frequent trips to stores, making 23 average trips in the period to collect Christmas essentials – up from the UK’s average of 17 trips.

According to the market researcher, shoppers began the return to branded products, with sales increasing by 5.9%.

Meanwhile, premium own-label lines saw a sharp increase of 10.5%, surpassing the overall growth of own-label products, which stood at 3.2%.

Over the last 12 weeks, shoppers spent nearly €140 million on premium own-label ranges.

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Aldi Ireland Opens Applications For Grow With Aldi 2025

Aldi Ireland has launched its 2025 Grow With Aldi programme – open to aspiring Irish producers, suppliers and entrepreneurs until 31 January.

Grow With Aldi is a product accelerator and supplier development programme which selects the best of Irish producers and gives them the chance to have their product stocked in all 163 Aldi stores nationwide.

It offers successful applicants the opportunity to take their business to the next level with dedicated support from Aldi experts.

Successful applicants will join the ranks of past Grow With Aldi success stories such as Velo Coffee, FemFuelz, Cookie Dó and Walls Honest Chips.

Applications are now open for 2025 and will remain open until 31 January 2025, and can be submitted online at www.growwithaldi.ie.

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Lidl Ireland Shines A Light On Women’s Sport Following Survey

Lidl Ireland and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) today released new research spotlighting the importance of elevating women’s sport.

The research – conducted by Red C – found that some 42% of the Irish public said they would be more likely to attend a women’s sporting even in person if someone well-known was playing.

However, the challenge of player visibility and audience connection remains, with 43% of respondents believing that not knowing anyone who is playing is a barrier to attending a female sporting event.

This is a sharp increase on the 33% recorded in Lidl’s 2023 study, illustrating the importance of raising the profile of female athletes to attract fans.

It emphasises the importance of promoting Irish female sporting role models for the positive impact they can have on individuals, society and their sport, continuing the work of Lidl’s ‘Get Behind the Fight’ campaign.

The retailer released the research to coincide with the launch of the 2025 Lidl National Football League season.

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Preview: "Cost Of Living Is Still Front Of Mind For Many"

Exclusive Interview With Tesco CEO Ken Murphy

Below is a preview of an interview with Tesco CEO Ken Murphy, conducted by Stephen Wynne-Jones for our November issue. The full interview is available online for subscribers – Digital Subscriptions are now available for as little as €49 a year.

Tesco chief executive and Irishman Ken Murphy talks to Stephen Wynne-Jones about leading one of the most influential names in British and international retail.

Tesco had group sales of more than ￡61 billion (€72 billion) last year and boasts a market share that towers over that of any of its competitors – 27.7%, as of June 2024.

For the past four years, Tesco has been led by Ken Murphy.

While his predecessor, Dave Lewis, may have been known as ‘Drastic Dave’, due to his fierce cost-cutting approach, Murphy is more of a ‘Mr Reliable’, navigating the British grocer through countless bumps in the road while maintaining a steady upward sales trajectory.

On the back of a 7.4% increase in group sales last year, the positive momentum has continued into the first quarter of 2024/25, with Tesco’s core UK & Republic of Ireland (ROI) business seeing a 3.6% increase in sales, year on year, while its overall retail businesses went up by 3.4%.

This has been driven – particularly in the UK – by Tesco’s commitment to value and the introduction of resounding promotional mechanics, such as Clubcard Prices and Aldi Price Match, the latter of which has been mirrored by other mainstream grocers.

“We know that value is still really important to our customers, with the cost of living still front of mind for many,” says Murphy, adding that Tesco has been the “cheapest full-line grocer” in its home market for well over a year now.

“We price-match Aldi on [approximately] 700 products, we have over 1,000 products in our Low Everyday Prices offer, and we have around 8,000 exclusive offers per week through Clubcard Prices, all of which are helping us to keep down the cost of the weekly shop.

“The customer feedback on Clubcard is overwhelmingly positive – particularly with regards to feeling rewarded for loyalty.”

As well as pricing, Tesco has invested significantly in brand perception, encapsulated by the strong performance of its private-label ranges, particularly Tesco Finest, which saw sales grow by 12.5% in the first quarter, year on year.

“This investment in ranges like Finest has helped us to secure consistent net switching gains from premium retailers,” says Murphy, with reference to rivals such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.

Last year, Finest sales exceeded ￡2 billion (€2.36 billion), with “more than 23 million shoppers” purchasing from within the range.

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