IRISH CONSUMERS WENT all out this Christmas, spending nearly €1.5 billion on food shopping in the first four weeks of December.

According to the latest supermarket share data from Worldpanel by Numerator, this was a 6% rise in spending compared to the same period in 2024, despite inflation climbing to 6.25%.

With Christmas falling on a Thursday, many headed to the supermarket early, but the real madness hit on Tuesday (23 December), when shoppers spent a record €107 million in a single day.

On average, households made 23 trips and spent €770 on festive essentials, up €32 on 2024.

Seasonal favourites were still top of the list: chocolates and biscuits racked up an extra €6.6 million in sales, brussels sprouts remained a firm fixture on the Christmas dinner table, and champagne and sparkling wine jumped nearly 22% as people toasted the season.

Low- and no-alcohol drinks also got a festive boost, an additional €1.9 million spent on these ranges compared to last year.

Premium own-label and branded goods thrived, with shoppers splashing out on cheese, antipasti, home baking, and savoury snacks.

Meanwhile, turkey sales slipped by 2.3%, but chicken made up some of the difference.

Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said that the choice of chicken was “possibly due to cost”.

Online shopping also saw a lift, up 9.8% on last year, with nearly one in five households buying groceries online.