Morrisons is leading the way on English apples and pears so far this season.
The UK number-four retailer has sold the highest volume of home-grown fruit, giving it a 26 per cent share of the market up from 21.1 per cent to the same time last year.
The English Apples & Pears figures, up to 9 October, come just ahead of all the major retailers making the switch from southern hemisphere apples.
Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears, praised Morrisons for a “phenomenal performance”.
He said: “If you go into Morrisons, you will see the way it displays English apples and pears with a header board that goes from sweet to sharp. They have invested very heavily in English top fruit this season and what to build on what they have done before. They are working very closely with their growers and have changed direction completely. They are constantly improving their point of sale and display space.
“There have been some strong promotions in store, but Morrisons has reassured its growers that they are investing in them and will make sure that returns over the season are satisfactory and fair.”
Sainsbury’s was described as a “strong performer”, with a 23.8 market share. Tesco is at 18.9 per cent, but is expected to improve quickly as it has just moved into home-grown fruit. Asda has 10.8 per cent share, The Co-operative is at 7.6 per cent and Waitrose is at 5.9 per cent.
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