Salads await summer of sales

With a three per cent increase in value sales and a decrease in volume of under one per cent, the salad industry appears stable. This is all just as well as the wettest and coolest April in many years dampens consumer salad demand along with the general mood.

But optimism is high within the salad industry with a more traditional summer now expected.

“We usually start the summer on a high [temperature] and then it becomes a bit of a damp squib [in the UK],” says one insider. “This year could bring a real summer, with high levels of demand for hot-weather favourites.”

Florette has had a flying start to 2012, with a particularly strong first quarter, supported by wide distribution and NPD.

The latest Nielsen 12-week data, up to 31 March, shows Florette’s sales increased by 10.5 per cent versus total category growth of 2.7 per cent.

“Our new Sweet Crispy mix, which we launched earlier this year, has been received well by buyers and consumers alike and has achieved strong listings,” says Sandy Sewell, Florette’s commercial director. “We have already seen a 20-per-cent increase in sales for the Crispy franchise, which is the number-one selling bagged salad range in the category.

“In addition, our Duo range, launched in May 2011, has also been pivotal to incremental sales increases. Since this date, the range has generated more than £3 million worth of sales and is still attracting news consumers to the brand who are looking for a more premium mix of leaves.”

Taking a look at UK lettuce individually, the market is worth £566m annually with a total market penetration of 92 per cent and an average purchasing frequency of 21 times a year. Its core customer base is largely female dominated and tends to be older, more affluent consumers compared to that of the total UK population.

“While penetration is high, the challenge for the industry is to increase frequency of purchase and help inspire and educate people about how and why to eat leafy salads,” says the British Leafy Salads’ Association.

But can consumer demand maintain or grow as the weather continues to disappoint?

“The unbalanced weather so far has meant that produce will be going in to store slightly later than usual, but our sophisticated agronomy methods allow us to produce great-quality vegetables,” says James Miller, commercial manager of Good Natured. “Once again we are expecting our Good Natured Salad range to perform well over the summer months. Last year Cool Cucumbers and Tantalising Baby Plum Tomatoes were our top sellers, and we expect to see similar results again.”

April 2012 will go down in history as the wettest drought to date and, although rain levels have subsided gradually, temperatures are not up to scratch yet.

“Rain has dampened sales for the category in April - compared to the same period in 2011 when the nation enjoyed sun-filled bank holidays,” admits Sewell. “But we are on the cusp of one of the UK’s most exciting summers and the Florette brand is in a strong position to maximise the wealth of sales opportunities.”

New products and packaging are getting a look in too, with Good Natured’s salad range, speciality tomatoes and baby peppers appearing on the shelves.

The company’s range of salad vegetables relaunched into Asda across the UK from May, including the Good Natured Tantalising Baby Plum Tomatoes and Good Natured Perfect Peppers range, which has also been extended into a wider distribution of selected

Morrisons’ stores.

Indeed, this summer is going to be packed with salad-eating opportunities and the industry is looking forward to celebrating record sales. “We know all too well that we can’t rely on the weather to support sales,” says Sewell, “which is why at Florette we have invested in a heavyweight integrated summer-long marketing and promotional campaign to support the category come rain or shine.” -

A NEW WAY FOR FRESH HERBS

As fresh herbs become a must-have section of the retail aisle, The Fresh Herb Company has decided to push the boundaries and run its first-ever PR campaign. Elizabeth O’Keefe and Chloe Ryan report

Enlisting an army of chefs and food writers to get consumers using more fresh herbs in their kitchens, the largest producer of fresh herbs for the UK retail market, The Fresh Herb Company, is taking a dive into PR with its first consumer-facing campaign. Promoting sales of fresh living herbs, the consumer campaign is running from April to September, along with the British herb season and at a traditional time for demand.

The campaign will feature seven cookery stars putting an array of fresh herbs through the motions. Twice Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, Ready Steady Cook regular Toby Tobin and TV chef Rosemary Shrager are three of those stars and will each provide their five favourite uses for fresh herbs, under the campaign name ‘5 Ways’, and these recipes will then be sent to food and women’s consumer magazines to try to inspire more consumers to buy and cook with living herbs. The website freshlivingherbs.co.uk, which is set to go live by the end of May, will also accompany the new campaign.

The UK retail fresh herbs market is worth £96.4 million and The Fresh Herb Company believes living herbs is the category with potential for the biggest growth. The 5 Ways campaign aims to highlight that fresh living herbs are a convenient and healthy way to liven up meals, offering value for money and low wastage. -