Colleen... and the Graduates

Dublin City University graduate Colleen Whelan from Kilkenny, left, is pictured with fellow DCU graduates Laura Brennan (Dublin), Mollie Du (Portlaoise), Conor Foster (Dublin), Iona Gardner, also from Kilkenny, Emma Malone Byrne (Dublin), and Amy Callaghan, from Donegal all of whom received a Degree in Nursing during the March Celebrations in DCU. Pic : Kyran O’Brien DCU Communications Dept

More than 1,000 students graduated from Dublin City University on Friday, March 31.

PHOTO: Kyran O’Brien the surge in spend in recent weeks to the impact of rising costs on supermarket shelves.

“Although value sales are up signi cantly, grocery price ination is still the driving factor rather than just increased spending,” Kantar senior retail analyst Emer Healy said.

“Grocery in ation continues to rise and now stands at 16.8%, with the annual grocery bill set to rise by €1,211 if consumers don’t make changes to their shopping habits,” said Ms Healy

In the past year, consumers have already made switches to lower priced own-brand alternatives in their local supermarkets in an attempt to cut costs, with purchases of these own-label products rising by 13.5% year-on-year.

Shoppers are now spending €18m more this year on value own-label, the cheapest o ering in supermarkets.

Guinness was also in high demand throughout the month of March, with sales rising 6.7%. Shoppers too spent an additional €3.8m on Easter chocolate.

Overall, Dunnes Stores retained the top spot in the Irish grocery market, with a 23.2% market share.

Tesco followed, with a 22.1% market share, with SuperValu rounding out the top three, with a market share of 20.6%.

Happy Easter to our readers and advertisers

A full list of what’s on for this Easter throughout Kilkenny can be found at https:// allevents.in/kilkenny-kk/ easter. Stay safe and have fun

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Carey complains of home search

Convicted fraudster Catriona Carey has taken issue with an early morning search carried out at her home in Kilkenny by detectives last year, according to sources quoted by the Irish Independent. Gardai removed boxes of records from the property.

The former Ireland hockey player made a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) about the criminal investigation into claims she ran a mortgage scam.

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Business snub for €1.3bn subsidies

The energy subsidy scheme for businesses, initiated by the Government in Budget 2023, is not make any meaningful impact on company finances six months after its introduction. Businesses have received just €61.3m in payments from the Temporary Business Energy Subsidy Scheme (TBESS), despite the programme being allocated €1.3bn last September.

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