FDBusiness.com

The amount Irish consumers spend on everyday grocery items, such as food, drinks and toiletries, increased year-on-year for the fourth consecutive quarter, according to Nielsen retail performance data. In the first quarter of 2016, the volume of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) purchased in Ireland rose 1.1% year-on-year, whilst the average prices paid for these goods rose 1.1%. Consequently, grocery retailers saw a 2.2% rise in takings at the tills. The last time there was a year-on-year decrease in takings was Q1 2015 (-0.5%).

The Irish market outperformed Europe as a whole (1.5% rise) and the UK (0.5% rise) – the UK only moving into positive territory for the first time in nearly two years.

Matt Clark, managing director for Nielsen Ireland, says: “With the economy stabilising, Irish consumers are feeling more confident, and we’re seeing that manifest itself in their purchasing behaviour – both in terms of the increases in the amount of goods they’re buying and the average price they’re paying for them.”

Across the 21 European countries measured, Turkey had the highest growth in takings at the tills (+9.7%), whilst Greece had the biggest decline (-6.1%). Of the big five western European markets, Spain (+3.1%) had the highest growth. Germany was the only one of the big five to experience a year-on-year decline in takings at the tills (-0.4%) and one of only four countries in the whole study to decline.