Ice cream sales fuel €27m sun boost for retailers

SOARING temperatures have given the retail sector a €27m boost, according to new figures from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel.

Ice cream sales are up 12pc, barbecue food sales have jumped 10pc and sun care products are up 8pc, compared to the same time last year.

“With hot, sunny weather comes barbecuing, sunbathing and socialising – and this has had its impact on the grocery market,” Kantar Worldpanel director David Berry said.

“Sales of ice cream, barbecue foods and sun care products have rocketed ... alcoholic drinks have also experienced a surge in demand – cider has seen impressive growth of 14pc and beers and lagers are up 5pc.

“The influence of the hot weather on sales of summer essentials looks even more impressive when you compare this to overall market growth at 2.1pc.”

The blistering weather has been “fantastic” for forecourt retailer Applegreen, according to its chief operations officer, Joe Barrett.

He said that sales of items such as ice cream and soft drinks have spiked, but that the effect is balanced out by lower sales of items such as tea and coffee.

“We’ve had a huge increase in our sweets, our drinks and our ice creams, but there’s been a big reduction in things like teas and coffees.

“There’s a lot more people out and about,” he added.

The chain, which generates almost 70pc of its profits from food and store sales, was hit along with other retailers earlier this year when the country was battered by Storm Emma.

That saw many retailers shut up shop for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, Tesco has retained top spot for market share among Irish grocers, the Kantar figures covering the 12 weeks to the end of June 17 reveal.

The British retailer has 22.4pc of the market, with SuperValu on 21.8pc and Dunnes Stores on 21.7pc.