Since the sale of turf in shops and online was banned in late 2022, there has been space in the market for fire-lighter brands to diversify their products.
Combine that with high energy costs leaving people turning to their hearth for heating, and ignition products are on the up.
With consumers forced to change the way that they think of fuel, a number of brands have come to the fore.
In the Checkout Top 100 Brands for 2023, ignition products jumped four places, to land at number 25 in the categories’ section.
The jump indicates a change in shopping habits since the ban on sales of turf, peat briquettes, coal, and wet wood on 31 October 2022.
The last time that it climbed the rankings this much was in 2018, after smoky fuel was banned in towns with a population over 10,000.
The category share of the top five brands rose by 3%, to 32.9% – dominating nearly one third of the market.
Published every August, the Checkout Top 100 Brands is based on branded value sales across the Irish grocery sector, making it the most accurate barometer of the biggest-selling brands in the marketplace.
In compiling the report, NIQ Ireland measures the sales performance of over 5,000 brands from over 200 product classes.
Though the market has been challenging, Irish consumers still won’t shy away from a roaring fire.
These five brands prove that, despite a shifting market, shoppers have not forgotten the Irish wisdom: níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin (there’s no fireside like your own).
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Zip
Zip has been in operation for over 80 years and introduced the first commercial kerosene fire-lighter in 1936. Since then, it has continued to innovate and now offers smokeless coal and fire logs, to make building fires easier. The year 2023 saw Zip retaining its position as the top fire-lighter brand in Ireland.
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Fibra Flame
Advertised as being suitable for open and closed fires, as well as the chiminea in your garden, it is no surprise that Fibra Flame maintained its number-two position in 2023.
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Stafford’s Magiflame
Stafford’s Magiflame is a fully smokeless option that made it to the number-three spot – up from number five in 2022. The brand’s smokeless coal has been a popular offering, especially since the 2022 ban.
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Stafford’s Fuel
The Wexford brand’s second entry in the top five picks retained its number-four position from 2022. The New Ross company has been evolving its eco-fuel offerings from as early as 2006, so it is no wonder that it has maintained a high ranking in the changing landscape.
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Bord na Móna
This year saw Bord na Móna slip from the number-three position down to number five. The brand has been working on smokeless products for years, and its continued innovation and commitment to the changing market ensures that it has remained one of the top ignition brands in Ireland.
