Kiwifruit marketer reports notable increase in UK sales following in-store sampling campaigns with major retailers and big awareness drive in train stations
Jason Te Brake, the chief executive of kiwifruit marketer Zespri, says in-store sampling at Tesco and Sainsbury’s has helped achieve a notable increase in sales over the spring and summer in the UK.
As reported in the NZ Herald, the marketing activity was part of a major campaign that also saw its yellow-fleshed SunGold variety heavily promoted to commuters at major railway stations in London, Birmingham, and Manchester.
The company’s efforts to boost awareness and demand for its products in the UK reflects a wider commitment to increasing sales in Europe, where Te Brake said the market continued to perform “very well”, with weekly record sales.
“We still have ambitious targets to close out the season earlier than last year, especially on Green, and we are seeing early signs of increased competition from locally grown, non-Zespri kiwifruit, but I’m confident that we’ll close the season positively,” he told the newspaper.
As Eurofruit reported last week, kiwifruit producers in Italy are steadily converting their production from green to yellow-fleshed varieties as demand for the latter grows.
Zespri’s SunGold production in the Northern Hemisphere is predicted to expand by 22.3 per cent year on year in 2025, driven by a renewed expansion in planted area.
Its Hayward production, marketed as Zespri Green, is forecast to be around 7mn trays this season, up 6 per cent on the year.
As a result, Te Brake added, the company plans to use more laboratories for “residue testing and harvest clearance to maintain speed and consistency”.
