As SuperValu reports doubling in demand for staple goods amid the cold snap, Bank of Ireland head of Retail Owen Clifford says that Irish retailers rose to the challenge of keeping their communities warm and fed.
New figures from retailer SuperValu indicated a 147% surge in milk, butter and egg sales in weather-impacted areas of Ireland in the past week.
In just two days an additional 100,000 loaves of bread were sold and sales of fire logs and firelighters surged by 61% ahead of freezing temperatures caused by an Arctic blast across many areas of the country.
“It is a testament to the Irish grocery supply-chain that customer requirements were met despite a surge in demand and in many areas a barely accessible road network”
According to SuperValu, demand for staples such as tea, coffee and soups spiked as shoppers stocked up on comforting essentials.
Beating the cold snap
Bank of Ireland head of Retail Sector Owen Clifford
“The ongoing freezing weather conditions have had a clear impact on SuperValu customer purchasing habits in recent days,” explained SuperValu managing director Luke Hanlon.
“Customers are prioritising staple products such as bread, milk, eggs, meat and fish to see them through the uncertain weather period.”
“At SuperValu, we are committed to keeping our shelves stocked with high quality, fresh and local products to ensure our customers are served nationwide. 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.”
In the worst weather-affected areas of Munster and Leinster, 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 over 50% increased demand, and favourites like chicken fillets and beef mince.
Bank of Ireland head of Retail Sector Owen Clifford said that across Ireland, grocery retailers rose to the challenge and supported their communities.
“Over the past week, as many struggled with the Arctic conditions, Irish grocery/convenience retailers and their staff nationwide have demonstrated how much they care in their unflinching commitment to their customers; demonstrating proactivity, community spirit and resilience during these challenging times,” Clifford said.
“It is a testament to the Irish grocery supply-chain that customer requirements were met despite a surge in demand and in many areas a barely accessible road network.
“The continued collaboration between Irish food and drink suppliers and the grocery/convenience sector ensured that household’s requirements for the staples – bread, milk and eggs were met. In many regional locations, the local family owned retail store is now a focal-point – be it through Tidy towns, sporting club sponsorship, active retirement club meeting point etc; the support provided by these businesses to the older/more vulnerable in particular over the past week further emphasizes their importance to our communities nationwide.”
Main image at top: Photo by Kevin Dowling on Unsplash
-
Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
-
Listen to the ThinkBusiness Podcast for business insights and inspiration. All episodes are here. You can also listen to the Podcast on:
-
Spotify
-
SoundCloud
-
Apple
