Ireland

In 2023, premium beauty and personal care ranges recorded a stronger performance than mass goods despite the challenging economic environment and ongoing high inflation. This was mainly due to the very strong performance of premium ranges within…

Retail volume sales of concentrates were under pressure in Ireland in 2023. Strong growth in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers shifting to retail in line with the heavy restrictions on foodservice, fostered stabilisation towards the…

The Irish population’s experience of the significant trend towards health and wellness has increased health consciousness and had a profound impact on consumer preferences within edible oils. Consumers have displayed a growing understanding of and…

2023 saw demand for fromage frais and quark begin to decline for the first time in four years, which can be seen as a balancing of demand after several years of robust performances in the category. Fromage frais and quark consistently outperformed…

Russia’s war in Ukraine coupled with the EU’s ambitious Zero Carbon policy continues to put pressure on fuel prices and this has led to a significant increase in the average ticket price for the end consumer. European regulators have introduced new…

The growing interest in coffee has hampered retail tea demand in Ireland 2023. Slowdowns in 2021 and 2022 followed a small spike in retail volume growth, due to the restrictions on on-trade sales in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, in…

Soft drinks is projected to see a flat off-trade volume growth performance over 2023. While more established categories like carbonates, concentrates and juice are set to see decreases, perceived healthier bottled water and RTD tea (especially…

RTD tea is projected to continue to post off- and on-trade volume growth over 2023, albeit at much slower rates than in 2022. Both still and carbonated RTD tea continued to see volume growth at the end of the review period. Still RTD tea has enjoyed…

Carbonates’ overall off-trade (and total) volume sales are projected to decrease over 2023. Irish consumers decreased their intake of carbonates in favour of perceived healthier or more functional soft drinks like bottled water or energy drinks.…

Chocolate spreads is expected to see stagnant retail volume growth, and the slowest retail current value sales growth in sweet spreads over 2023. Retail current value growth is set to be in high single-digits mainly due to higher prices. This…

2023 saw rising demand for premium cheese brands with a clear health and wellness positioning as Irish consumers became increasingly interested in products that can help them to improve their dietary intake. The desire to improve one’s diet to…

Digestive remedies is one of the most stable consumer health categories in Ireland, but the lack of innovations and breakthroughs over the review period is posing a limitation to growth. Even new product launches are rare in this category, with the…

Healthier lifestyles and a focus on immune system support are the key drivers of dietary supplements sales in 2023. Concerns surrounding COVID-19 led more Irish consumers to start taking dietary supplements on a regular basis as a preventive measure…

During 2023, ready meals in Ireland experienced a surge, stimulated by innovative product offerings. Among these, The Gym Kitchen's Beef Lasagne and Tesco's Beautifully Balanced Chicken & Sweet Potato Katsu Curry stood out for their unique selling…

After steep increases in the price of milk amidst high inflation during 2022, 2023 saw milk prices in Ireland experience a notable decline. The average unit price of drinking milk products had reached unprecedented levels by the end of 2022 and a…

Paediatric consumer health is performing well in 2023 for the second consecutive year, albeit at a much lower pace of current value growth than in 2022. Ireland witnessed a more intense season of common colds and viruses among children in 2022 as the…

Consumer demand for health products made from natural ingredients is already well developed in Ireland, and this trend supports sales of herbal/traditional products in 2023. Consumers tend to use these products for minor ailments, but will shift to…

Other hot drinks witnessed divergent trends in Ireland. On the one hand, the biggest category, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, suffered from the health and wellness trend. On the other hand, malt-based hot drinks and “other” plant-based hot…

2023 saw more stability in the average unit price of butter after steep unit price increases during 2022, which was a particularly challenging year for category players as they battled with rising production and distribution costs at a time of high…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco saw growth driven by closed system single use vapes in Ireland in 2023, with double-digit growth in volume and value. The growing popularity of disposable vapes is the result of their low…

Away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Ireland reported robust value growth in 2023, lifted in part by higher unit prices. Away-from-home tissue performed particularly well aided by strong demand for AFH wipers. Pandemic cleaning habits continue to…

2023 saw plant-based dairy generate positive retail volume sales growth as the consumer base for these products continue to expand. The rising popularity of plant-based dairy is based mainly on spreading concern over the role that a diet high in…

In 2024, sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in Ireland is seeing retail volume sales return to modest growth as price increases slow down. This is following a negative year for retail volume sales in 2023. The high cost of wheat, which is a…

Processed fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre, are becoming increasingly popular as part of a balanced diet and overall wellbeing. Moreover, these products cater to the growing demand for plant-based…

In 2023, one key trend in sauces, dips and condiments in Ireland was the increased emphasis on marketing and advertising to stimulate consumption. This trend was particularly evident in the success story of Mutti, a local player in pasta sauces.…

The pandemic period led to unhealthier lifestyles for a large number of Irish consumers, with some returning to smoking regular cigarettes as retail outlets selling vapes and other alternatives were closed. The stress and anxiety related to the…

2023 saw pressure on demand across all categories of dairy products and alternatives in Ireland as the high inflation that swept across Europe during 2022 continued, albeit at a lower rate. This led to volume sales declines across most categories of…

Weight management and wellbeing continues to face decline as more consumers are sceptical about the efficacy of using such products, with some concerns about unpleasant or harmful side effects. Many Irish consumers now understand that only physical…

Over the course of 2023, Danone UK & Ireland was heavily focused on enhancing the health and wellness aspects of its consumer portfolio of brands. This move was taken in response to the growing demand among the Irish population for healthier food and…

Rice, noodles and pasta saw a significant shift towards healthier options in 2023. Irish consumers increasingly sought wholewheat pasta, brown rice and quinoa noodles, reflecting growing awareness of the importance of a balanced diet and the benefits…

The war in Ukraine continued to impact cooking ingredients and meals in 2023 by affecting the availability and prices of key ingredients, particularly sunflower oil and seeds. Irish food manufacturers have assessed the medium-term effects of the…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies are enjoying strong growth in 2023 as the category continues to recover from the sharp declines seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Flu, common coughs and colds and seasonal allergies in the Irish…

In 2023, the growth of processed meat in Ireland was driven by robust demand from the UK and EU, comprising 43% and 47% of the total value of Irish beef exports, respectively. Furthermore, there were promising opportunities in Asia, notably China,…