Easter delights drive record spending on confectionery in Northern Ireland
Record spending on confectionery in Northern Ireland saw £4.24 billion in take-home groceries ring through the tills up to 14th April 2024.
According to retail analysts, Kantar, this was up 9.7% year-on-year.
The average household spent an all-time high of £5598, up £482 year-on-year, with shoppers visiting stores more often, making an average of five more trips than last year. However, the number of packs bought continues to fall year-on-year by 0.6%.
Grocery inflation now stands at 10.7% for April, the seventh consecutive month of decline and a level last seen in February 2023.
Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar said that although inflation levels are falling, they are still exceptionally high, especially when compared to the Republic of Ireland (2.9%) and Great Britain (3.2%).
“Consumers in Northern Ireland are still facing significant pressures on their household budgets, making the landscape as competitive as ever,” said Emer.
“Retailers are putting emphasis on own-label lines and promotions to attract shoppers through the door. Nearly 22% of sales in April were made through a promotional offer, a level this high has not been seen since October 2020.”
Own-label remains popular as shoppers tighten the purse strings, growing by 10.9% year-on-year, with shoppers spending an additional £183 million on these ranges versus last year. Brands grew slightly behind the market at 9.5% year-on-year and hold 54.4% value market share.
“Shoppers in Northern Ireland indulged in all things chocolate this Easter and spent an additional £4.2 million on confectionery, up 7.2% versus last year,” added Emer.
“That was even stronger for Easter eggs, which were up 16.8% year-on-year, with shoppers spending an additional £2.1 million compared to last year. Over 67% of Northern Irish households purchased an Easter egg over the 12 weeks to 14th April.”
Meanwhile, Tesco maintains its position at the top of the table and is Northern Ireland’s largest grocer with a 35.1% share of the market, up 10.3%. Tesco welcomed more frequent trips, which contributed an additional £97.3 million to their overall performance.
Lidl holds 9.2% market share, up 13% year-on-year. Lidl welcomed new shoppers in store alongside more frequent trips, which contributed £13.7 million to their overall performance.
Sainsbury’s holds 16.9% share, up 12.6%. More frequent trips contributed an additional £143 million to their overall performance. Asda holds 16.1% of the market, up 10.7% this period and saw a boost in frequency and new shoppers, which contributed an additional £16.5 million to their overall performance.
