The latest data on grocery inflation for Ireland shows prices in the 12 weeks to mid-July were 4.16% higher than a year earlier.

This data, compiled by Numerator by Worldpanel, shows the slowest pace of inflation for the grocery shoppers since February of last year.

Slowing inflation allowed consumers to buy more branded goods, pushing that segment's market share to 49%, with the growth equivalent to an increase of €173m in spending when compared with a year earlier.

Commenting on the latest figures, business development director at Worldpanel by Numerator Emer Healy said: “Shoppers clearly felt like they had a little more room to trade up, which explains why branded goods and premium ranges both grew faster than own-label this period.”

Dunnes maintained its position as the number one retailer by market share at 23.7%. Tesco was a close second at 23.5%.

Lidl saw its share of the market rise to a record high of 15%, while Aldi held 11.1%.

The biggest growth in sales by type of product were in snacks, alcohol, soft drinks and prepared fruit. The hot weather also saw a surge in sales of suncream and deodorant.