Brennans Bread has been ranked Ireland’s most popular brand for the second year in a row in a new report from Worldpanel by Numerator.
Nearly four in five Irish households bought a Brennans Bread product at least once in the last year.
It was followed in popularity by Avonmore, Tayto, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Jacob’s, with four of the top five brands carrying an Irish heritage.
The top five brands remains largely unchanged from the previous year, with the exception of Jacob’s having pushed Denny out of the top five.
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The report measured the popularity of brands through a combination of whether a household purchased a brand at least once during the year - known as household penetration - and the average number of times they bought the brand, known as purchase frequency.
Spending in Ireland in the fast-moving consumer goods market totalled €1.8 billion last year, up by 10 per cent year on year.
According to the report, this has led to Irish shoppers buying “little and often” and to increased scrutiny for choices based on brand loyalty.
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For Avonmore, Ireland’s second most popular brand, household penetration marginally declined, but those households that bought its products came back more often and spent more. This comes following Avonmore’s expansion in recent years into protein water, vitamins and high-protein soup.
Irish brands continued to thrive elsewhere in the rankings. Kerrygold was a significant climber, jumping 21 places with household spending up 20.9 per cent, while Keelings reached the number 13 spot after rising six places.
Coca-Cola remained Ireland’s most popular beverage, but was closely followed by Nescafé and 7Up. Ballygowan rose 24 places, potentially spurred on by its Irish rugby and GAA partnerships.
Innocent and Monster jumped to 11 and 12 respectively in the most popular beverage brands, showing a continued trend of water and energy as the fastest-moving segment among beverages.
“Ireland’s ranking looks familiar at the top, but the way brands hold their positions is changing,” said Emer Healy, Worldpanel Numerator business development director for Ireland.
“Holding a place in the table and growing the quality of that position are two different things.
“Some brands are bought by almost everyone. Some hold because the people who buy them come back more often and spend more. Some are growing because they make health, freshness or premium quality feel worth it on an ordinary day.
“Irish shoppers still know what they want, but they are making the brands prove it more often.”
