Kantar’s monthly grocery data for the Republic of Ireland shows that price pressures are starting to mount again at the till, with annual inflation hitting 3.7% over the most recent survey period. That reading is up from the 3.4% reported in January, but remains significantly below the levels seen in the wake of the pandemic.

While current inflation rates are nothing like the 16.8% seen in the first half of 2023, Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar noted that the pandemic has had lasting effects on consumer behaviour.

This is particularly notable in the number of shopping trips consumers make, with the number in February 2025 down by nearly two when compared to the same month in 2020.

The rise in online shopping has also stuck, with the channel accounting for 6.9% of all sales in February 2025 compared to 2.7% five years ago.

The slowdown in inflation from the 2023 peak has helped the performance of branded goods which increased sales in the 12 weeks to February 23 by 5.6% when compared to a year earlier. That is ahead of the overall growth in grocery sales which stood at a take-home value 4.9%.

Looking at the major supermarkets in the country, Dunnes still holds the top spot at 24.6% of the market with Tesco in a close second at 23.9%. Supervalu had 20.4% of the market and Lidl and Aldi held 12.8% and 10.9% respectively.