Shoppers from the Republic of Ireland have spent €64.5m on groceries in Northern Ireland in the past year, the highest level for five years, according to Kantar Worldpanel.

One in eight households in the Republic made at least one grocery shopping trip across the border, spending on average €38.50 each time – compared with €23.70 at home.

A quarter of this cross-border spend went on alcohol, according to Kantar Worldpanel consumer insights director Douglas Faughnan.

"No other food or drink category comes close, with dairy products accounting for the next largest share of cross-border spending at 5.9%," he said.

Weak sterling

While the weak sterling exchange rate since the Brexit referendum has hit Irish agricultural exports such as beef and dairy, Faughnan said that it had both made cross-border shopping more attractive and lowered the price of British-made consumer products and ingredients. “However, for only the second time in 21 months, grocery prices have increased, suggesting the prolonged period of grocery price deflation may be coming to an end,” he added.

Within the Republic, Dunnes Stores consolidated its lead with a 3.6% increase in sales in the 12 weeks to 4 November. Dunnes holds a 22.4% grocery market share, followed by SuperValu (21.4%), Tesco (21.3%), and Lidl and Aldi (11.7% each).