According to the latest figures from Kantar, the spending by households was up €42 compared to December 2022, and an increase of €170 compared to 2019. Price inflation remains the driving factor behind the spending. Kantar said grocery inflation sits at 7.1% for the 12 weeks to 24 December - a considerable fall of more than half from the 15.5% rate in January 2023. However, the figure remains exceptionally high and Irish consumers face serious pressures on their household budgets. Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar, said retailers worked hard in December to attract shoppers. "Nearly 29% of all spend in the 12 weeks to 24 December 2023 was made on items with some promotional offer, the highest level since January 2023 and €117m more than the previous year," she said. "This is the eighth month in a row that there has been a drop in inflation, which will be welcome news for consumers. It is the lowest inflation level we have seen since August 2022, and we expect to see this gradual decline continue throughout 2024." Friday, 22 December was the most popular shopping day over Christmas week with Irish shoppers spending €92m in stores, with just over two million trips made on that day. Over 36% of Irish households were in store that day.