Eat, drink and be merry!

New research from Talon Ireland* indicates that the Irish public is geared up for a larger Christmas this year, with 33% planning more family gatherings. More guests means more food and 53% plan on trading up to a more premium retailer, with only one in five (20%) of shoppers staying loyal and sticking with their usual store. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to stock an enticing Christmas offering that will encourage shoppers to stock up, writes Gillian Hamill

Brand Central

2 December 2022

Share this post:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for sales! Irish grocery sales were worth a staggering €3.1 billion during the 12 weeks to 26 December 2021, according to Kantar research.

As consumers enjoyed a return to normal Christmas celebrations last year, the market saw a slight decline of 2020’s figure, but a 10.9% increase compared with the same period in 2019. An extra €3.1 million was spent on Christmas dinner, with whole turkey sales up by €1.9 million as the public splashed out on a showstopping centrepiece.

Sales of other festive foods, including Christmas biscuits, cheese, and confectionary were €10.5 million greater this year than in December 2020. Meanwhile, consumer taste for luxury pushed premium own label sales to a record-breaking €58 million over December, €604,000 more than in 2020. With so much sales potential to be had in the coming weeks, ensure you don’t miss out on potential purchases by failing to stock the heavy hitters highlighted here.

*(Source: Research by Talon Ireland and Spark Market Research of 250 respondents aged 16+ conducted between 1-3rd August 2022)

Footfall boast

PostPoint offers a wide range of popular Christmas products such as stamps, gift boxes and bags and One4all gift cards, as well as a new handy combo Christmas card and stamp pack

PostPoint agents across its network of retail and convenience stores enjoy a rise in footfall, thanks to the range of convenient and essential footfall driving services they can offer.

PostPoint is a wholly owned subsidiary of An Post and offers retailers the opportunity to provide a comprehensive range of postal products as well as bill pay, Lotto and top-ups.

From early 2023, Leap services will be exclusively available through the An Post – PostPoint network. All PostPoint agents will automatically be able to sell and top up Leap cards when this service is switched on early next year.

PostPoint offers a wide range of popular Christmas products such as stamps, gift boxes and bags and One4all gift cards. This year, the company is adding a handy combo Christmas card and stamp pack to its range.

Convenience stores which opt for Parcel services experience a huge surge in traffic in the run-up to and after Christmas. Customers can pick up and send their parcels from these stores as well as return unwanted items. All earning additional commission and footfall for you.

The addition of in-store PostPoint Services provides essential and convenient services within the community, transforming stores into destination hubs.

If you would like to know more about becoming a PostPoint agent, contact 1800 300 150 or email aprs.sales@anpost.ie.

Bring out the Bessie in you!

Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire Puddings are baked fresh and quickly frozen, ensuring they will be a showstopper at any Christmastime gathering

Aunt Bessie’s wants to help everyone make memories around the dinner table this Christmas. The brand’s much-loved range of products will be sure to please the crowd with minimal preparation. All the taste minus the hassle so families and friends have more time to enjoy the festivities with their loved ones!

Aunt Bessie’s homely and satisfying oven roasted potatoes make it easy to serve up perfect Roasties this Christmas!

The humble roast potato can make or break any meal let alone the much-anticipated Christmas dinner. Aunt Bessie’s ensures shoppers don’t have to take any chances this Christmas; they can simply serve up Aunt Bessie’s homely and satisfying oven roasted potatoes.

There are few things in life more satisfying than a golden, crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside potato croquette. To get them done the right way, the brand reckons it’s got to be Aunt Bessie’s Croquettes!

Your shoppers can also summon smiles to faces this Christmas with Aunt Bessie’s 18 classic Yorkshire Puddings. Baked fresh and quickly frozen for your shoppers’ freezers, these traditionally made Yorkshires will be the showstopper. Plus – plenty left for the next day (or seconds!).

Nothing tops this at Christmas!

Avonmore Cream is the number one branded cream in the Irish market

Don’t forget the cream this Christmas! Avonmore’s festive cream range – already whipped and ready to serve – is the perfect accompaniment for all your customers’ tasty Christmas treats.

Avonmore’s limited-edition flavours will be available to stores from early December, including Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream, Avonmore Caramel Whipped Cream, Baileys Whipped Cream and Avonmore Brandy Whipped Cream. Already whipped and ready to serve from the fridge, nothing tops Avonmore Cream at Christmas!

For a fabulously festive array of Christmas dishes, just check out www.avonmore.ie which features a wide selection of traditional starters, mains and desserts as well as treats, snacks and festive drinks. Avonmore Cream is the number one branded cream in the Irish market, with 39% category share*.

*(Source: AC Nielsen Scantrack, 52 w/e 14th August 2022, value)

Christmas all wrapped up!

Floraville-Seasons endeavours to offer quality products, at competitive prices, with a friendly and efficient service.

Established in 1956, Floraville is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of Christmas, home, and garden products. Floraville is delighted to have recently become part of Reach Group allowing us to extend our packaging range even further.

Floraville-Seasons offers a comprehensive selection of products for gift wrapping and making hamper baskets and gift sets

Supplying exclusively to the trade, Floraville’s clients include gift shops; garden centres; home and interior stores; hamper companies and specialist outlets.

Its Christmas range is wider than ever before, providing a comprehensive selection of products for gift wrapping and making hamper baskets and gift sets. The range includes baskets, boxes of many sizes, trays, wrapping paper, bows, and gift bags.

Make an appointment to visit the showroom or request a Christmas catalogue by emailing Floraville-Seasons today at custservices@reach-delpac.ie or call 01 824 1888.

A sleigh-ful of festive favourites

Mondelēz International provides two tempting hollow Santa offerings in 50g and 100g versions

Once again, Mondelēz International will bring the nation their festive favourites this year with a raft of confectionery and biscuit treats for everyone to enjoy, from iconic brands such as Cadbury, Oreo, Maynards Bassetts and Green & Black’s.

Leading the market, Mondelēz International is central to Christmas confectionery, and is number one in five sub-categories – advent calendars, selection boxes and pouches, just to name a few*. It’s clear that shoppers trust Mondelēz to bring them the products they love come Christmastime, with total seasonal sales growing over 11.8% last year*. In seasonal biscuits, Mondelēz also has a strong presence, growing at 6%** last year with top-performing products from Cadbury Biscuits and Oreo seasonal biscuits.

The Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Mint Crisp is an ideal small gift for Cadbury lovers

This year, Mondelēz has rolled out a broad redesign across its seasonal range, which sees many products with new, eye-catching, and elevated packaging. This new look will help to drive further value for retailer and shoppers as their festive favourites will have a new touch of Christmas magic, and they’re sure to create excitement in-store.

To focus on just a couple of products across the company’s impressive Christmas portfolio, Chocolate Santas are a fundamental part of any retailer’s Christmas confectionery offering. Mondelēz International has two hollow Santa offerings in 50g and 100g versions.

Meanwhile, the Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Mint Crisp will be available in a 360g block format this Christmas, making it the perfect small gift for Cadbury lovers. What’s more, it’ll be rolled out with a new and impactful gifting design that is sure to stand out on-shelf, driving incremental sales and encouraging shoppers to ‘trade-up’.

*(Source: NielsenIQ, Total Scantrack (excl. Dunnes & Discounters), Christmas Choc, Value sales, 17 w/e 26 Dec 2021)

Luxury festive range

Made with Cuisine de France’s original 33-year-old sourdough starter, the Cranberry & Pumpkin Loaf is a perfect accompaniment for any Christmastime spread

Christmas is a time for indulgence and Cuisine de France has the perfect luxury festive range. Its exclusive range of products are perfect for the seasonal shopper looking to indulge in a tasty festive treat. Cuisine de France convenient treats can be eaten on-the-go or taken home to enjoy with family and friends. From two new muffins to sumptuous festive pastries, the range is sure to have something to suit all tastes.

The new Christmas range includes seven delightful products which are sure to become festive favourites amongst consumers, including:

Cranberry & Pumpkin Loaf

This loaf is made with Cuisine de France’s original 33-year-old sourdough starter, sweetened dried cranberry pieces and crisp pumpkin seeds.

Classic Sweet Mince Pie

Cuisine de France’s Classic Sweet Mince Pie serves up a flavoursome rich fruit mix including juicy sultanas in a sumptuous shortcrust pastry

A delicious rich fruit mix including juicy sultanas in a sumptuous shortcrust pastry. One of Cuisine de France’s best sellers for Christmas.

Orange & Chocolate Muffin

A Light and airy orange flavoured muffin with milk chocolate chunks throughout. Filled with a velvety milk chocolate sauce and topped with a chocolate rosette and Christmas tree plaque.

Stores will have a strong opportunity to boost sales this Christmas with the Cuisine de France Festive Treats range. Retailers should speak to their local business developer to inquire about introducing the range or contact afsordering@aryzta.com.

Give the gift of bliss

Lindt Lindor is Ireland’s number one boxed chocolate

There really is something special about Lindt chocolate at Christmas. Whether it’s a moment of bliss before or after preparing the Christmas dinner, a Kris Kindle present, or something special under the Christmas tree, the master chocolatiers at Lindt have been hard at work creating a selection of sumptuous gifts for the Christmas season.

A firm family favourite each festive season, the adorable Lindt Teddy is lovingly created by the Lindt master chocolatiers, who are offering lots of exciting creations. New this year is the Lindt Teddy White Chocolate (100g) and the unique Lindt Teddy Crispy Bites (120g). Back for Christmas once again are the Lindt Teddy Milk Chocolate (100g), Lindt Reindeer (100g), and a special Lindt Teddy in a festive Christmas jumper (200g).

This Christmas, Lindt will be bringing back its social media competition, where you will be asked to guess the location of Lindt Teddy in well-known locations across Ireland and the world, with the chance to win Lindt chocolate hampers! Information will be available soon on the Lindt Ireland Instagram and Facebook pages.

Lindor, Ireland’s number one* boxed chocolate has a delicious range of mouth-watering chocolate to match every taste. Expertly crafted by the Lindt master chocolatiers with the finest tasting chocolate, the Lindor Christmas range has something for all the family.

The Lindt Advent Calendar offers scrumptious treats crafted by Lindt’s master chocolatiers

From the Lindor Milk Truffle in varying sizes including the familiar 200g cornet, to the Christmas limited edition Lindor Milk & White with smooth melting white chocolate enrobed in the finest milk chocolate. Another favourite at Christmas is the Lindor Gift Box 287g, a beautifully crafted gift-wrapped box embellished with red bow – truly perfect for your loved ones this Christmas!

Also returning this year are the indulgent Lindor selection boxes – available in Milk and Assorted and filled with an irresistible assortment of Lindor favorites including tempting truffles and bars! It wouldn’t be the festive season without an advent calendar and there is a milk chocolate truffle behind every door of the Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles Advent Calendar 300g.

Ideal for sharing the bliss, the Lindor Assorted Tin offers six blissful varieties. From classic Milk, and White chocolate to the irresistible Salted Caramel, there’s a flavour for everyone.

Lindt also has a permanent shop in Kildare Village where shoppers can pop in for all their festive needs!

*(Source: Nielsen Total scantrack excl Discounters MAT data to 14/08/22)

Merry Treatmas!

Baileys Chocolate Truffles are perfect for sharing with family and friends

For those looking to impress this festive season, Baileys Chocolates will certainly hit the spot. Returning to the Baileys range for Christmas 2022 are the gorgeous festive patterned Christmas Tree and Christmas Star tins, filled with the ever-popular Baileys Chocolate Original Truffles. Perfect for sharing with family and friends after Christmas dinner; the empty tins also make ideal Christmas tree decorations.

Also returning in time for the festive season is the deliciously indulgent, Baileys Chocolate Bombe. All your customers have to do is pop the chocolate bombe into a mug and melt away the velvety, Baileys-flavoured milk chocolate by pouring over their choice of hot milk. Then simply watch as the yummy, white marshmallows bubble out into their mug. Each pack contains three individual Chocolate Bombes ready for dunking and making the hottest drink around.

The Baileys Chocolate Collection (227g) is perfectly presented in a stunning, black and gold, circular box and contains a range of Baileys milk, dark and white truffles along with other classics such as coffee, caramel and almond, guaranteed to delight everyone with a sweet tooth

The Baileys Gift Wrap Box (260g) is another fantastic option for gifting during the festive season. This range includes a selection of favourites, including milk, dark and white truffles, brownies and caramels all with the signature Baileys flavour.

The Baileys chocolate range is available at selected SuperValu, Tesco and Dunnes stores nationwide or online at www.lirchocolates.com/baileys-collection.

Christmas food to order

With just over 10 weeks to go until Christmas, Marks & Spencer has launched its Christmas Food to Order service.

Christmas Food to Order is M&S’s online Christmas food-ordering service, allowing customers to choose from 50 Christmas Foodhall classics for collection in stores across Ireland on 23^rd or 24^th December.

The lines available through the service range from classic Irish poultry to vegan mains and from sumptuous sides to dazzling desserts, covering all the Christmas dinner staples, as well as snacking dishes for throughout the day. And for the showstopper, M&S is proud to present the Free-Range Stuffed Irish Turkey Crown from Monaghan’s Grove Farm.

M&S has also launched an early bird offer, giving members of the Sparks loyalty programme a €10 voucher to spend in the M&S Foodhall when they place an order of €50 or more.

The M&S Christmas Food to Order service is now available at www.christmasfood,marksandspencer.ie.

By your side this Christmas

Mash Direct (www.mashdirect.com), the award-winning ‘field to fork’ vegetable accompaniments brand bringing a range of convenient vegetable side dishes to festive chillers this Christmas.

Ranging from Red Cabbage and Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Potato Croquettes, Cheese and Onion Croquettes to Honey Glazed Parsnips, Ham and Cheese Bites and Duck Bites, there is guaranteed to be something for everyone to enjoy this festive period. This Christmas range offers the convenience of little preparation and quick cooking times with great taste Christmas flavours; set to be a hit for all festive occasions.

Mash Direct’s range is made fresh on the farm ‘field to fork’ using older of heritage of varieties of vegetable grown to bring big flavours to the Christmas table. The vegetables are gently steam cooked immediately after harvesting, guaranteeing an unrivalled freshness of flavour with no compromise on either the nutritional benefits or natural texture of the vegetable. Each dish is low in saturated fat, gluten-free and free from artificial flavourings and colourings.

Mash Direct has a wide range of seasonal products to cater for all your festive needs and take the stress out of Christmas, allowing your customers to spend more time with family. Each product takes 30 minutes or under to prepare, allowing Mash Direct to meet consumer demand for convenience throughout Christmas and beyond. Mash Direct’s diverse Christmas range is sure to bring plenty of variety to the festive table, whilst still focusing on traditional tastes.

Guaranteed Irish multistore gift card

More than 7,000 stores accept Me2You cards nationwide

A secure and trusted gifting solution; a Me2You gift card is an ideal gift this Christmas. Be they a lover of fashion, gaming, beauty, toys, or even splurging on some tasty festive goodies, Me2You has everyone covered. With over 7,000 stores accepting Me2You cards nationwide, including Smyths Toys Superstore, Arnotts, Penneys, Brown Thomas, H&M, Tesco, M&S, TK Maxx, Applegreen, Currys PC World, Harvey Norman, River Island, Boots, and so many more. Me2You is also accepted in over 1,000 stores online, meaning everyone’s loved ones can redeem their gift card from the comfort of their own home.

A Me2You gift card is also a perfect solution for corporate gifting needs – employers can now reward their employees up to €1,000 tax-free.

Irish-owned and operated, Me2You Gift Cards support Irish retail and shopping locally – which is more important than ever, particularly during these uncertain times.

Me2You Gift Cards are available to purchase in values from €15 – €150, through the Payzone network, at any Applegreen nationwide, and online at www.me2you.ie.

‘Me2You Gift Card – The Gift of Choice!’ For more information, email sales@me2you.ie, or call the team at 01 554 2000.

Crammed with Christmas flavours

The Thanks Plants Festive Roast serves up a high-quality dinner centrepiece that vegans and vegetarians can enjoy

Following on from its sell-out success last year in Ireland, Irish meatless meat brand Thanks Plants has launched its Festive Roast for 2022 which is crammed with Christmas flavours.

With over 30% of people choosing either a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan diet, there is a requirement to offer more than the traditional turkey and ham at Christmas in order to satisfy the tastes of all diners at the table. The Thanks Plants Festive Roast it ideal for this; an artisan product made from premium wholesome ingredients it’s bursting with delicious flavours and is the perfect alternative to a stuffed turkey crown.

Dublin vegan Aisling Cullen is the founder of Thanks Plants and created the Festive Roast in response to a lack of meat substitute products in Irish supermarkets. Her aim was to make a product that was meaty in texture but made from wholefood ingredients – a tasty alternative to traditional Christmas meats.

The Festive Roast features a delicious gourmet stuffing made with mushrooms, chestnuts and cranberries. The meatless meat part is a mix of seitan flour, pearl barley, cannellini beans, vegetables, herbs and spices.

“This is our third year with the Festive Roast and it continues to out-perform our expectations,” said Aisling Cullen. “Customers are looking for a high-quality dinner centrepiece that vegans and vegetarians can enjoy, and it’s a great meal solution if you are unsure what to serve a veggie guest. More and more people are choosing to reduce their consumption of meat so this is an ideal product to serve alongside the traditional turkey and ham. It also works great as leftovers – just like a turkey or ham sandwich”.

For more information, visit www.thanksplants.co.

An O’ooh-so-luxurious delight!

Make sure to delight your shoppers this Christmas, by stocking up with Lily O’Brien’s range of mouthwateringly delicious chocolates. All made in Ireland and crafted using signature Lily O’Brien’s chocolate, this delicious range offers the perfect selection to meet all your shoppers’ gifting needs this Christmas.

Brand-new this year, Lily O’Brien’s has launched a decadently delicious range of chocolate Truffles. Available in three luxuriously indulgent recipes, Milk Chocolate Truffles, Salted Caramel Truffles and Vanilla Truffles, these divine truffles are created with passion using Lily O’Brien’s signature chocolate recipe, are individually wrapped and available in single flavour 200g boxes.

Lily O’Brien’s Truffles are individually wrapped and available in 200g boxes

Perfect for sharing with family and friends, Lily O’Brien’s Truffles are the perfect addition to a cosy night in, the ideal treat for an unexpected guest, or when hosting a last minute catch up over the festive season.

This exciting new launch from Lily O‘Brien’s is supported with an above-the-line (ATL) digital and print campaign and impactful POS displays for Quarter 4 to drive awareness and trial with consumers.

Lily O’Brien’s sophisticated Chocolate Collection contains a generous selection of 26 chocolates and is sure to suit all tastes with nine different recipes

Lily O’Brien’s Chocolate Collection is the perfect gift for shoppers to really impress with this festive season. This strikingly stylish and sophisticated large box contains a generous selection of 26 chocolates and with nine different recipes is sure to suit all tastes. Recipes included are Salted Caramel, Simple Chocolate, Zesty Lemon Truffle, Truffle Decadence, Coffee and Almond Biscotti, Raspberry Roulade, Sticky Toffee, Roasted Almond Square and Gianduja.

Firm family favourites with Irish shoppers and ranked in the top five premium chocolate collections and growing well ahead of the market (Source: Nielsen Mat Dec 2021) the iconic Desserts Collection and the Ultimate Chocolate Collection are must stock items for Christmas 2022.

Lily O’Brien’s Desserts Collection includes much-loved recipes

Meanwhile, the best-selling and much-loved Desserts Collection includes some of the world’s most loved dessert recipes, including Hazelnut Torte, Raspberry Infusion and Banoffee Pie. It’s the perfect accompaniment to any dinner table or get together with family and friends and is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. The Desserts Collection is available in two box sizes; a 16 chocolates and a larger 30 chocolates box.

Lily O’Brien’s Ultimate Chocolate Collection

The Ultimate Chocolate Collection really is the ultimate indulgence for chocolate lovers. Containing eight mouthwatering milk, white and dark chocolate recipes, the Ultimate Chocolate Collection is available in a beautifully gift-wrapped ballotin box with a smart blue bow and is also available in a stylish single layer box. Both are perfect for under the Christmas tree and last-minute gifting on-the-go at Christmas.

For a successful Christmas season and to continue to grow your sales this year, the brand advises making sure to stock Lily O Brien’s this Christmas season. Available to order through Tennant & Ruttle, contact your sales representative for more information at www.lilyobriens.ie.

Wide Eye Outdoor delivering data-led advertising

“Contextual, engagement-led advertising with location specific data, presents a game-changer for onsite communication with shoppers at scale,” says Eoin O’Connor, commercial director at Wide Eye Media/Wide Eye Outdoor

Wide Eye Outdoor’s Adtower Network is Ireland’s largest in-store digital advertising authority and provides revenue generation opportunities for retailers.

Working in partnership with stores nationwide, the group leverages the value of your customers through advertising revenue and with real-time shopper insight.

Each Wide Eye Outdoor Adtower unit is equipped with a sensor collecting anonymous live data while remaining fully GDPR compliant. Customer analytics can be made available for any or all campaigns and include audience impressions, demographics, attention duration and dwell time.

Their existing retail media networks can be seen in high impact locations like SuperValu, Centra, Eurospar, Spar, Mace, Londis as well as forecourt retailers Maxol, Circle K and independent symbol groups.

For brands keen to further tap into people’s journeys beyond retail, Wide Eye Outdoor digital engagement points can be purchased in pubs, cinemas, gyms and at Certa petrol pumps. As Ireland’s largest digital out-of-home network, Wide Eye Outdoor has more than 1,000 digital screens nationwide and reaches an audience of 200 million each year.

“Strategically placed from path, to point of purchase, Wide Eye Outdoor offers brands the opportunity to influence at all stages of the sales funnel, from awareness through to the sale itself,” explains commercial director Eoin O’Connor. “We can optimise client’s creative content with our larger premium screens, and right through to last-minute decision-making nudges.”

By selecting locations throughout Wide Eye Outdoor networks, brands are able to intercept the audience they wish to target at multiple touch points across people’s daily journeys. Furthermore, the ability to leverage dynamic pre-designed content according to triggers like daypart, weather or specific events enables Wide Eye Outdoor to work with clients in developing even more memorable content.

“Contextual, engagement-led advertising with location specific data, presents a game-changer for onsite communication with shoppers at scale,” adds O’Connor. “And for Wide Eye Outdoor, our insights, location led, audience led, and data led tools allow us to move from simply selling screens to providing impactful and memorable engagement opportunities for our clients.”

Share this post: