More than 70 suppliers attended an internal M&S conference last week at Champneys, and heard buyer Stuart Stubbins predict that more year-round products such as stonefruit, soft citrus and grapes, as well as prepared convenience packs, could boost the retailer's market share. The potential has already been proven with organic bananas, cucumbers and strawberries, which have shown significant increases without reducing conventional sales.

Reflective of the UK market in general, fruit plays a relatively minor role, but vegetables and roots are major contributors, with beetroot perhaps surprisingly, being one of the major lines.

M&S's UK organic share was valued at around three per cent of a market between £200-£300 million at a recent conference in Barcelona. With the right approach, said Stubbins, this can be raised to as high as 10 per cent on a market that still has significant potential for expansion.

He decried opinion which claims both that the market will soon reach saturation point and that it is over priced, saying that there are still almost unlimited possibilities if producers, category managers and M&S work together. 'We have hardly scratched the surface with some products,' he said.

'We intend to promote lines which can achieve 52-week availability, and close the gap where this has not been achieved,' added Jackie Smith, product developer.

Supporting the drive will be a new logo designed to attract more consumers.

Research shows that some seven per cent of the population are responsible for 60 per cent of organic sales, but with organics now established as mainstream, more consumers are expected to buy more regularly because of the sector's association with healthy living.

A further impetus will also being created as more stores are rolled out under what is known within M&S as the Milton Keynes effect. The Bedfordshire branch has been transformed with more shelf space being given to organics complete with new decor and edging strips along the shelves. The refurbishment now encompasses eight branches and the results have been encouraging, in turn leading to more consistency in store layout, and an increase in communication with branches with visits from suppliers and Baker Street executives.

'Our aim is to become the most trusted retailer of organic produce in the UK,' said Stubbins, who called upon suppliers to come up with more products and new ideas. 'We aim to take a leading position on eating quality, variety and choice.' At present the M&S section covers 22 lines of fruit, 25 vegetables and 29 salad items.

The chain also has detailed consumer research identifying the various consumer buying sectors, which at present points to the main consumers being families with children and the older section of the population which has probably retired.

Stubbins also had a clear message on pricing: 'Our organic produce will be sold with the same cash margin as the conventional equivalent,' he pledged.

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