The 84% Advantage: Why Irish Identity Is the Sponsorship Platform Brands Cannot Afford to Ignore

Irish consumer identity is one of the most commercially potent forces available to sponsorship professionals, and new data from SuperValu puts precise numbers on it. Research conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of SuperValu, published on 5 June 2026 and covered by Checkout.ie, finds that 84% of Irish consumers say buying Irish matters when doing their grocery shopping, while 63% say doing so has become a routine part of the weekly shop. The findings were published as SuperValu and Centra announced the continuation of their sponsorship of Guaranteed Irish Food and Drink Month this June, one of the most strategically coherent purpose-led sponsorship programmes in the Irish market.

The data commands C-suite attention for what it reveals about Irish identity, consumer values and brand equity. When consumers were asked why they buy Irish, supporting farmers and producers ranked highest at 55%, followed by quality at 50%, better food standards at 38% and environmental considerations at 25%. These are not transient preferences. They reflect durable values around provenance, community and trust, and they represent precisely the territory that well-structured sponsorships are designed to occupy. For Irish brands assessing where to direct partnership investment, the data provides a compelling evidenced foundation.

The Guaranteed Irish Food and Drink Month sponsorship illustrates the commercial logic at its best. SuperValu and Centra are not simply attaching their logos to a calendar month. They are anchoring their brands to a set of consumer values that 84% of their shoppers already hold, creating direct alignment between what the sponsorship stands for and what customers care about. Tara Clifford, Director of Product Brands at Musgrave, confirmed that the research is central to the retailer’s ongoing commitment to Irish suppliers and provenance messaging across the store network.

The programme goes further than brand alignment. Musgrave, in partnership with Guaranteed Irish and Elevate Media, is offering one Irish food or drink business a digital advertising package worth €25,000 as part of the June campaign, helping emerging brands increase visibility and connect with new audiences. This embedded commercial opportunity within a sponsorship activation is a model worth noting: rights holders can create tangible value for both headline sponsors and smaller partners within the same programme architecture.

ONSIDE projects the Irish sponsorship market at €247 million in 2026. Within that market, purpose-led sponsorships rooted in Irish identity are among the most defensible investments available. Irish brands can point to the 84% consumer figure when building the business case, and rights holders should use it when pricing programmes that carry genuine Irish provenance credentials.

The SuperValu research does not simply validate one retailer’s sponsorship strategy. It makes the commercial case for Irish identity as a sponsorship platform across every sector of the market.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)