AS SUMMER COMES to an end, Irish shoppers’ habits and typical purchases will begin to change up once again. 

Sunscreen and antipasti sales will be exchanged for thermals and meats, and spending splurges will be reined in.

This summer saw an increase of 5.8% in take-home grocery sales in Ireland over the four weeks to 9 August, according to data from Worldpanel by Numerator. 

Although grocery inflation increased again (prices were up 3.87% in this period) the figure is down 2.01% on the same period last year.

Over the four weeks, shoppers made 44 million trips to shops – an average of 23 trips per household – and shoppers spent, on average, €635 per person over the four weeks.

Worldpanel by Numerator’s business development director Emer Healy said promotional sales now account for nearly a quarter of total spend this summer.

“It’s clear that even amid the good weather and busier trollies, Irish shoppers haven’t lost sight of getting the best deal for their money,” she said.

Summer-associated categories also got a boost. Soft drinks, antipasti, ice cream and sun care products saw an additional €36.1 million in sales over the latest 12-week period.

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On the alcohol side of things, almost €200 million was spent on alcoholic beverages in grocery shops, up 5.6% on last year.

More shoppers opted to get their shopping delivered to their home, the data said, with shoppers making almost eight online orders on average over the 12 weeks. This saw online sales jumping by 27.6% over the 12 weeks and an additional €54 million in spend when compared with last year.

Finally, where were people doing their shopping? Dunnes was the winner with 24% of the market share, although Lidl (on 14.8%) saw the most growth, according to Numerator’s data..

Tesco (23.8% of market share) followed Dunnes, and SuperValu (19.4%) was next.