SuperValu reports surge in demand as cold snap drives stockpiling
Shoppers nationwide prepare for icy weather, with rising sales of bread, milk, and comfort foods as orange weather warnings sweep across Ireland
Print10 January 2025
SuperValu, Ireland’s leading community retailer, has revealed a sharp increase in demand for essential food items as customers stocked up ahead of the cold snap.
Over the weekend of 3-4 January, stores nationwide sold an additional 100,000 loaves of bread, while demand for milk, butter, and eggs more than doubled, particularly in Munster and Leinster counties under orange weather warnings.
Bakery and bread
SuperValu stores nationwide saw a surge in demand for bread and bakery items as shoppers prepared for the icy blast.
Wrapped bread was the clear favourite, peaking on Saturday with one in three shopping baskets containing a loaf at midday, a jump from the typical one in five seen in early December.
Shoppers were stocking up, with a 7% increase in bread items per basket compared to the previous weekend.
Essentials fly off shelves
As temperatures plummeted, demand for milk, butter, and eggs soared, with sales more than doubling, up 147% in counties hardest hit by orange weather warnings across Munster and Leinster.
Chilled products and hearty meals
In the worst weather-affected areas, chilled product sales skyrocketed by a staggering 384% on Sunday, 5 January, as people prepped for cosy home-cooked meals.
Fresh meat and fish also saw a significant boost, with more than 50% increased demand, and favourites like SuperValu Chicken Fillets and Round Steak Mince snapped up by shoppers.
Cold weather comforts
Comfort foods and heating supplies were in hot demand:
- 33% rise in home-baking items as families embraced warm, freshly baked treats.
- Tea, coffee, and soups were also strong performers.
- Fuel sales spiked, with fire logs and starters up 61% and briquettes soaring 80.4%.
- Shoppers showed they were prepared for the freezing temperatures, ensuring they had both the essentials and the comforts to weather the storm.
“The ongoing freezing weather conditions have had a clear impact on SuperValu customer purchasing habits in recent days,” said Luke Hanlon, managing director, SuperValu.
Customers are prioritising staple products such as bread, milk, eggs, meat and fish to see them through the uncertain weather period.
“We’d like to recognise the hard work of our suppliers nationwide and we are committed to supporting them during this time. We’d also like to acknowledge the dedication of our staff across our store network nationwide who are going above and beyond to serve our customers and ensuring they have access to the essential food items they need,” noted Hanlon.
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