Irish shoppers choose homegrown brands

Thu, 25 May, 2017 - 01:00

Joyce Fegan

The top four brands in the country are Avonmore in number one position, Brennans in second, Denny in third, and Jacob’s in fourth.

This is according to the fifth annual fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) report by Kantar Worldpanel, which is a global expert in shoppers’ behaviour.

Its report measured which brands are being bought by the most consumers the most often.

In the number one slot for Ireland’s most popular food brand, Avonmore is purchased by 73.4% of Irish shoppers 28.8 times a year. This is the fifth year in a row Avonmore has held this position.

In second position, Brennans is chosen by 75.6% of Irish shoppers 27.5 times per year.

In third place, Denny is bought by 70.8% of us on average 16.3 times throughout the year.

Both Brennans and Denny remain in the same ranking as last year.

However, Jacob’s, which came in at fourth position climbed one rank, with 82.7% of Irish shoppers purchasing their products 12.9 times a year.

These rankings come during a period of challenge for brands, as consumers are choosing own-label products more and more.

There has been a growth rate of more than 6% for people buying own-brand goods, while there has been a decline in shoppers purchasing branded products.

David Berry, director of Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, said retailers have responded to these changes by improving their own-brand goods.

“Brands across all sectors are finding the Irish retail landscape more challenging. Traditional retailers have responded to a more competitive marketplace by expanding and improving their own-label lines — and brands and manufacturers are feeling the impact,” said Mr Berry.

“While own-label is growing by almost 6.2%, the proportion of the population buying the top 10 branded products is down by an average 2.8%.”

Mr Berry said customer behaviour is changing rapidly and brands need to respond to their changing needs.

“Consumer behaviour is changing at a rapid pace. To keep up, brands and manufacturers will need to recognise consumer needs which aren’t being met or demographic group which are underperforming and come up with innovative new products and experiences that can successfully tap into these markets,” he said.

This year’s biggest success story in terms of ranking was fish specialist John West. It rose 16 places to 37th position in the overall Irish ranking.

It achieved the highest penetration (number of people purchasing their goods) increase of any brand in the top 50.

The brand’s success was driven by customers responding to new products such as its steam pots range, which aims to meet the growing demand for convenient food options.