Ireland sees boost in alcohol sales over Easter period
Supermarket shoppers in Ireland spent €34.6m on alcohol in the week leading to Easter, a 5.3% increase in sales compared to last year, according to new data published by Nielsen.
Print14 May 2019
The recent rise in alcohol sales inIreland represents a significant uplift over last year’s 3.9% increase, and the second year that the alcohol category benefited from changes to the Intoxicating Liquor Act, that saw the Good Friday alcohol ban lifted after more than 90 years.
Alcohol sales continued to soar over Easter, with particular increases in cider (+33.4%), lager (+19.5%), ale (+16%), spirit mixers (+64.8%) and sparkling wine/champagne (+13.9%).
The rise in alcohol sales can be attributed to the increase in warm weather, with Easter 2019 in Ireland being the hottest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures peaking at 22.9C on the Saturday. Another result of this was shoppers spending more on food associated with warm weather, such as take-home ice-cream, where sales increased by +20.7% to €3.7m year-on-year.
“A year into the lift on alcohol prohibition on Good Friday, shoppers in Ireland were looking at every opportunity to enjoy the sun with friends and family, spending more freely on alcohol than in the previous year,” said Karen Mooney, Ireland market leader at Nielsen. “We can also expect these categories to continue to grow should we experience another warm summer akin to 2018.
“With this in mind,” Mooney said, “retailers should keep an eye on the weather forecast and ensure that when the sun shines, shelves are well-stocked; particularly with beers, ciders, sparkling wines and pre-mixed drinks.”
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