The last 12 months have been marked by a significant increase in the size of the potato market in Northern Ireland. For the year ending May 20th 2018, the size of Northern Ireland’s retail potato market was valued at £45.5m. This represents a year-on-year increase of 1.6%.
The total volume of potato sales rose by 4.3% over the past twelve months, while the price paid per kilo increased by 3.3%. In addition, the frequency of potato purchases rose by 1.8% while the volume of potatoes purchased per shopping trip increased by 1.9%, again year-on-year. Significantly, potatoes enjoy a 96% market penetration in Northern Ireland which means that 96% of the population buy potatoes at least once during the season.
Market share figures produced for the republic of Ireland for the past 12 months mirror many of these trends. Total retail sales were valued at €196.7m for the year ending May 20th 2018. This represents a 0.1% increase year-on-year. Total grocery spend in the Republic was up by 2.8% during the same period. Potatoes enjoy a 97% penetration within the Irish market.
According to farminglife.com, Ireland’s food retail sector is certainly on the rise and the potato industry is benefiting in almost equal measure. Consumers are continuing to buy smaller potato pack sizes. Also very interesting is the fact that sales of other carbohydrate sources, including rice and pasta have remained static over the past year.
