Hugh Mowat, produce technologist, has been closely involved in expanding M&S’s organic sales over the past three and half years. He believes that in this time there have been major changes in customer perception of the category.
“Organics no longer appeal to a particular sector of the public. They are being bought more regularly alongside conventional produce, which is good news,” he says. “Currently we are seeing a growth level exceeding our targets.”
Mowat is not prepared to divulge exact figures, but from his optimism there seems to be no doubt that M&S’s retail market share has risen from the 3.4 per cent estimated by TNS two years ago. Then, at an internal conference, it confirmed that it was seeking to eventually capture 10 per cent of the UK market.
As the first step the chain enhanced its organic offer with a new brand design, which Mowat confirms has been very successful. He is convinced the key factor to sustainable growth is providing customers with more and better information. To prove the point he cites examples of an expanding market in Germany where consumers are widely aware of the organic presence. In France the reverse is true and development is almost static.
The UK, he says, falls broadly within these two extremes. “Consumers are now far more relaxed about trying the products,” he adds.
When plotting overall organic fruit and vegetable sales, he says they have tended to reflect a stop/start history. “In the early days there was simply not enough product being grown to meet UK needs, and some of it hardly complied with the strict standards that are now in force. That was followed by a period in which the effect of the large-scale producer became apparent as more set aside land came into production.
“The result was at one point that there was almost a glut, and sales in comparison with previous years slowed down,” Mowat says. “Mercifully there were no major food scares last year, which draw attention to the organic alternative”.
He believes that now with greater consumer interest, the cycle is about to repeat itself and sales will move off the current plateau. “Every organic product we sell has got a very good story to tell about the commitment of our growers to ensure the best quality,” he says.
Emphasis as far as M&S is concerned will continue to be on British sourcing, wherever possible.
Mowat makes the point that customers must always feel they have freedom of choice when they make any purchases. However, to bring organics to their attention, products with some exceptions such as milk are displayed on several dedicated cluster sites in the vicinity of the conventional produce.
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