Double child payment tees-up a ‘supercharged’ Christmas for retailers

The latest data from research group Kantar Worldpanel shows that the rate of grocery inflation stood at 2.67pc on October 1, down about 0.09 percentage points since the previous period.

Kantar’s figures for the 12 weeks to September 29 show that grocery sales volumes rose 3.6pc, as many households prepared for the return to school.

Irish households spent an additional €2.6m on fresh vegetables and €1.9m on fresh fruit in the latest 12-week period. They also spent an extra €1.4m on ambient bakery breads, nearly €1m more on frozen goods, and €1.5m more on soft drink carbonates.

Online sales have risen 9.6pc year-on-year, with shoppers spending an extra €17m in the period by ordering from their devices. Kantar said that retailers are pushing online growth by offering money-off vouchers and in some cases, free delivery.

Sales of branded goods rose 8pc in the period compared to last year, outperforming own-label products once again and increasing their value share of total…