Ireland

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…

Consumers lifestyles have shifted back to normality in 2023, with individuals spending more time outside the home and doing more team sports. This has generated a greater need for quick and convenient solutions for minor traumas, including sticking…

COVID-19 led to global automotive sales plummeting by 16% in 2020, as lockdowns curtailed business and consumer activity. Passenger vehicle sales will, however, recover and grow by 28% over 2020-2025. Shared mobility was also squeezed, with gross…

Wipes in Ireland witnessed robust current value growth in 2023, aided largely by higher unit prices caused by inflationary conditions. In constant value terms, sales are now back on a par with pre-pandemic levels. The largest category baby wipes saw…

Wine sales continued to decline in 2023, following an ongoing trend. One key factor for this is the high prices attributed to wine, notably so for sparkling wine and champagne, with these subcategories typically being expensive, and also affecting…

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…

Vitamin sales patterns are returning back to normality in 2023, following the surge in demand at the height of the pandemic period, although high inflation remain an issue. The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged consumers to take better care of their…

Vending sales slumped in 2023 in Ireland, compared to a better performance seen in 2022. This is attributed to the inflationary environment leading to low consumer spending power, as well as a normalisation effect following the uptick seen in 2022 as…

2023 has marked a significant recovery of inbound arrivals to Ireland. Inbound arrivals are projected to reach 89% of pre-pandemic levels in terms of number of trips by the end of 2023. Visitors from mainland Europe and North America are driving the…

2023 has seen a significant recovery in terms of inbound arrivals to Ireland with the number of trips set to reach 89% of pre-pandemic levels. With COVID-19 restrictions lifted the country has begun welcoming back visitors from key source markets…

The global urban consumer landscape is increasingly complex and difficult to navigate. Which cities should you choose for your consumer business expansion? To answer this and other questions, we are introducing the Euromonitor International Cities…

The outbreak of COVID-19 led to an increase in sales of toilet care, as consumers became increasingly concerned with hygiene levels. However, in 2023, while retail value sales remained high due to inflation, retail volume suffered from rising price…

Tobacco in 2023 was impacted by the Irish government’s decision to keep increasing tobacco taxes, positioning the price for a pack of 20 cigarettes and per stick as the most expensive in western Europe. Further, Ireland continues to have one of the…

Tissue and hygiene registered solid retail volume growth in 2023, reflecting the strong consumer demand for tissue and hygiene in Ireland. Overall consumption has lowered compared to 2022 levels, as demand patterns normalised within the tissue and…

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…

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…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks is a relatively well-established category in Ireland. Rising inflation is a key contributor to value growth in 2023, although volume sales have been pushed into decline. Sweet biscuits is the best…

Retail value sales were positive in 2023, benefiting from the spring-cleaning season at Easter. However, the bulk of retail value growth was the result of rising inflation, which led to increased price points. As such, while retail value growth was…

Supermarkets was facing some ongoing challenges in Ireland in 2023, following on from the change in consumer behaviour which was seen both during the era of the pandemic and also currently, due to the cost-of-living crisis. Similarly to hypermarkets,…

In 2023, sun care in Ireland benefited from the end of COVID-19, with consumers returning to holidays and beach trips, acquiring sun creams for these occasions. Although the Irish economy faced challenges, the landscape recorded positive results as…

Sugar confectionery is seeing retail volume sales decline as the war on sugar gains further momentum in Ireland. The pandemic intensified consumer’s focus on health and self-care with a growing awareness of nutrition and the negative health impacts…

In 2023, street stalls/kiosks in Ireland was the best performing consumer foodservice channel in terms of value sales growth. This was mainly due to it being one of the most negatively impacted during the pandemic. Therefore, sales and transactions…

In 2023, packaged staple foods in Ireland saw a significant shift in consumer behaviour and industry dynamics. Traditional favourites such as potatoes, bread, meat, eggs and fish remain the most commonly consumed staple foods. However, increased…

The year 2023 is shaping up to be another strong year for sports nutrition in Ireland. Daily routines are back to normal following the removal of all pandemic-related restrictions, with consumers back into gyms and other sporting venues, driving the…

Sports drinks remained still quite a small category in Ireland at the end of the review period, but it continued to grow fast in off-trade volume and current value terms. In the wake of the COVID-19 experience, many consumers have shifted towards to…

Spirits achieved marginal volume growth in Ireland in 2023. While off-trade sales saw a sub-decimal volume decline, this was balanced by small positive growth in on-trade sales. This is supported by mixology trends, alongside the fact that cocktails…

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…

Snacks in Ireland has come under pressure from rising prices in 2023. Many consumers perceive the higher prices as a deterrent and are switching to cheaper snacking options or reducing their snacking to some extent. Additionally, the increased prices…

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…

Sales in small local grocers start to creep up again in Ireland in 2023. However, some challenges remain, as this channel also faces competition from other retail options. Whilst small local grocers tend to offer proximity convenience to consumers,…

General anxiety related to economic uncertainty, the high cost of living and the war in Ukraine is improving the popularity of sleep aids in 2023. Many consumers are also back to hectic everyday lifestyles, with commuting, longer working hours and a…

In 2023, the struggling economy shaped results on the skin care landscape in Ireland. High inflation and declining GDP resulted in a fall in average disposal income. While retail value growth remained positive, driven by rising prices, retail volume…

Self-service cafeterias in Ireland experienced 11% current value growth in 2023, although sales, transactions and outlet numbers remained below pre-pandemic levels. Several factors drove the channel’s growth. First of all, the business sector…

In 2023, the savoury snack category in Ireland was characterized by a strong emphasis on taste and quality. Consumers prioritise these factors above all else when choosing their savoury snacks, leading to an increase in the variety of flavours…

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.…

Despite the rise of RTDs as a competitive category in alcoholic drinks, volume sales in RTDs in Ireland slumped in 2023. This is attributed to the normalisation effect following the atypical spikes and crashes seen in sales through the pandemic era…

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…

RTD coffee continued to grow fast in Ireland in 2023. Convenience and indulgence factors have contributed to the rise in popularity of iced coffee. Moreover, busy lifestyles and the desire for refreshing caffeinated options have led to increased…

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…

Retail tissue in Ireland witnessed a second year of high current value growth in 2023, underpinned by unit price increases, as well as buoyant demand for tissue products. However, the impact of inflation has subsided in 2023, putting less pressure on…

Retail in Ireland continued to be impacted by inflationary pressures and high utility costs through 2023, affecting consumers and retailers alike. That said, we did witness some easing of pressures later in the year, both in product pricing and…

Retail e-commerce continued to stabilise in Ireland in 2023, following the significant boom seen during the era of the pandemic, when both consumers and retailers alike were forced to embrace the online channel. Whilst footfall has returned to…

Retail adult incontinence in Ireland registered solid growth in volume growth in 2023, with both light adult incontinence and heavy/moderate adult incontinence performing well. Rising levels of obesity in Ireland, combined with an ageing and…

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,…

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, 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…

Although retail value sales growth was positive, this resulted from high inflation and rising price points in 2023, as retail volume sales declined. Retail volume has been consistently declining over the review period, with polishes suffering from…

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…

Like other pet care categories, pet products in Ireland is impacted by strong economic challenges, such as inflationary pressure on prices and economic insecurity. These economic factors continue to exert pressure on consumer spending into 2024. As a…

Pet care in Ireland continues to face pressure from the global economic climate, with rising costs of raw materials, energy, production and transportation impacting the domestic industry into 2024. However, these economic effects have been less…