For a family of four, the cost of an average Christmas dinner has risen to €34.74, which is up 2 per cent on last year, driven mainly by the price of turkey and Christmas vegetable staples, with Brussels sprouts and mince pies seeing an increase of over 10 per cent in price versus this time last year. Wider grocery inflation increased to 3.6 per cent versus 3.3 per cent last month.
Take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased in value by 5 per cent over the four weeks leading up to December 1, 2024, reaching €1.24 billion, according to the latest data from Kantar. As Irish households stocked up for the big day, November became the biggest sales month of the year so far, with the number of shopping trips up 1.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Emer Healy, business development director at Kantar, explains: “Last year, we saw a whopping €87m go through the tills on the December 23, and we’re expecting this again with Monday December 23 set to be the single busiest day for the supermarkets this year. But there are clear signs that Irish shoppers are stocking up early especially when it comes to festive favourites. Shoppers spent an additional €4.5m on assorted biscuits and crackers compared to the previous month, while 15 per cent of all households bought mince pies and more than 36% purchased seasonal chocolates in November.”