New figures show that measures to fight COVID-19 in recent weeks triggered record levels of demand at the country’s supermarkets, while there was also an upsurge in online shopping.

Research from data firm Kantar indicates that March was the biggest month of grocery sales ever recorded in Ireland.

The company’s usual 12-week figures to 22 March show that sales were just over 10% higher than in the same time last year, but the increase for the final four weeks of that period was 27%, with shoppers spending an additional €122 on average.

Peak

The 12-week spending total of €2.8 billion beat the previous peak recorded in the Christmas 2019 period.

The increase was mainly due to shoppers spending more during their trips to supermarkets. Last year 15% of households spent €120 or more on groceries, but this year that figure climbed to 27%.

Kantar’s managing director David Berry pointed to huge increases in the amount spent on personal hygiene products in the four weeks to 22 March.

Sales of hand soap jumped by 300% from a year earlier, while household cleaning products were up 170%. Facial tissues and toilet roll recorded sales increases of 140% and 86% respectively.

Online order

Around 10% of grocery shoppers placed an online order in the four weeks to 22 March, representing an annual increase of 54,000.

All of the major supermarket groups recorded sales increases of more than 10% in the 12-week period, with the strongest growth of 14.7% coming at Lidl. Dunnes Stores, however, had the highest market share of 22.3%.