SuperValu has revealed a sharp increase in demand for essential food items, as consumers stock up for the ongoing cold snap.
Over the weekend of 4 and 5 January, stores across the country sold an additional 100,000 loaves of bread.
In addition to this, demand for milk, butter and eggs more than doubled, particularly in the Munster and Leinster counties under orange weather warnings.
Products
Across the country, SuperValu stores saw a surge in demand for bread and bakery items, as shoppers prepared for icy weather.
Wrapped bread was the favourite, peaking on Saturday 4 January, with one in three baskets containing a loaf at midday – a jump from the typical one in five seen in early December.
Shoppers were stocking up, with a 7% increase in bread items per basket, compared to the previous weekend.
As temperatures fell, sales for milk, butter and eggs went up by a whopping 147% in the counties hardest hit by the weather warning.
In the worst-affected areas, 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 such as SuperValu chicken fillets and round steak mince proved popular with customers.
Comfort foods also saw an increase in sales, with home-baking items seeing a 33% rise, and tea, coffee and soups also performing well.
In addition to this, fuel sales spiked, with fire logs and starters going up by 61% and briquettes soaring by 80.4%.
‘Ensure Our Customers Are Served’
Speaking about the trends, SuperValu managing director Luke Hanlon said, “The ongoing freezing weather conditions have had a clear impact on SuperValu customer purchasing habits in recent days.
“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 would 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.”
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