SMARTPHONE USERS WHO shop at SuperValu will now be able to use the country’s first grocery shopping app to do their weekly shop.

The retailer, which has 195 stores across the country including at least one in every county, has launched a new app which will allow users to do their weekly shop as well as scan product barcodes and access information about products.

The iPhone and Android app is the first of its kind in Ireland and will allow users to avail of offers exclusive to their local branch of SuperValu.

Edel Russell, the director of consumer and IT at SuperValu explained one practical way the app could work best for customers.

She explained: “SuperValu is the only supermarket In Ireland with a butcher in all of our stores and shoppers are even able to add a note with their mobile addressed to the butcher to ask them for a specific cut of beef.

“So no matter where our customers are, they will have access to a supermarket trolley right from the phone in their pocket.”

The retailer points to the growing number of people owning smartphones as well as doing their shopping online as a reason for introducing the app.

Consumers in Ireland spend around €4 billion online each year, the retailer says, with that expected to rise to €21 billion by 2017.

SuperValu has also launched a separate recipe app that gives users hundreds of recipes and helps them to plan their meals according to their weekly shop.

Read: 2.6 million Irish spend €116 per month shopping online