For their part, most multiples have replied that it's not price that determines, but quality, and on certain lines at certain times, the English grower just hasn't competed in this respect.

However, there appears to be a mounting sense of accord between producers and multiples. Growers are performing better than they ever have before and, in response, the multiples seem no longer to be simply paying lip service to English fruit.

Simon Latham, top-fruit buyer at Tesco, says the retailer's commitment to English fruit stands out against other multiples ñ and is increasing by the year.

“English apples and pears sales represent a growing percentage of total top fruit sales,” he says. “Tesco now prioritise English fruit when it is available ñ so if English Gala is available, UK fruit gets shelf space in preference to French, Spanish and Italian etc. This approach is applicable for all English varieties, so Conference pears, Cox apples, Comice pears are stocked when available and hopefully in an area which is geographically close to where they are grown. We are also keen to ensure that produce that is grown locally, hits local stores.

“Tesco's market share of multiple grocers English apple share is over 32 per cent over the last 52 weeks [to September 30] ñ this is significantly better than our share of fruit within multiple grocers. Effectively, this is saying that we are over-performing on UK top fruit. Sales year-to-date are in excess of 40 per cent up ñ a fantastic start to the season that I hope to continue.”

Tesco stocks all the best-known English varieties: Discovery, Worcester, Spartan, Egremont Russett, Cox and Royal Gala. But it has also developed a pack format that it uses to sell small quantities of lesser-known varieties, such as Laxton Fortune, Charles Ross, Lord Lambourne, Chivers Delight and St Edmunds Russetts. It also has a generic “dessert pear bag”, that contains variously Conference, Comice and a selection of dessert pears.

“The new apple pack has been a great success,” says Latham, “and we have had customers congratulating us for selling some of the more traditional varieties again.”

And Tesco promises English growers that it will build on such success and create more niche openings. “We will continue to develop the UK apple offer using the pillar brands that it has. We will develop Finest, Value and Kids packs, using more UK apples, in an effort to increase the share of the crop sold by Tesco.”

Somerfield has also moved into new varietal areas, adding the likes of Laxton Fortune, Lord Lambourne, Charles Ross and Chivers Delight to Discovery, Worcester, Spartan to Egremont Russet. Top-fruit buyer Margaret James says: “We obviously retail Bramley all year, as well as strongly supporting UK grown Cox and Gala apples. This year for the first time we will have developed a four-pack of UK apples, using the best eating fruit from Estivale and Early Windsor to Braeburn and Cox.

“In Somerfield we have also had success retailing both Cameo and Sweet Lillibet, a unique variety to us, and of which we will see an increase in volume this year. I think the success of these is due to the fact that they are a new and different product.

“As a company we support the English top-fruit industry for the whole of the season, and change sourcing as soon as the UK crop is available. Our customers are pro-UK production and look forward to the UK season. Cox is our cornerstone of the UK catalogue, which we support disproportionately to the other varieties of apples. But we also ensure that we have a wide range to generate customer interest.”

Sainsbury's has developed its range of English top-fruit and stocks Adams Pearmaine, British Empire, Delbard Estivale, Suffolk Pink and Winter Wonder alongside more well-known varieties. Marcus Hoggarth, the store's top-fruit and banana buyer, says further growth in non-traditional UK varieties can be expected into the future.

Accounting for just under 20 per cent of the annual turnover in Sainsbury's top-fruit category with a value of around £20 million, the multiple is obviously dedicated to getting it right during the English season. And increasingly, says Hoggarth, this means sticking with English fruit.

“Quality, price and product allowing we will always gravitate towards buying UK produce,” he says. “Increasingly the scale of our UK suppliers means that UK against continental price disparities are diminishing. Other than Royal Gala, however, there really is little direct varietal conflict currently.”

Supermarket buyers have been heard to criticise the quality and continuity of English Braeburn and Royal Gala, when compared with the same fruit from competing sources. But, Tesco's Latham says the signs are now a lot more encouraging. “English Braeburn is an exciting development and increasingly this will take shelf space from European fruit. Ultimately, varietal development that lengthens the UK season is required and progress is being made on this front.”

Julien Roberts, top fruit buyer at Safeway, says: “Ideally, we would obtain all our apples and pears from English growers but this is not possible because of the length of the English season and the fact that some key varieties are not grown in UK. So, we have to purchase from abroad. Of course, some key varieties are available from overseas throughout the year, as well as from England during the UK season. Examples are Gala and, to a lesser extent at present, Braeburn. In such cases our preference for buying English has to be balanced by ensuring we offer our customers the best combination of quality and price, although we can justify a slight price premium for English. Continuity of supply and consistent high quality are also vital. The English industry should only produce these products if they can compete in all these areas with supplies from abroad.

“I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong with what the English growers are doing. The climate can produce difficulties and the crop can be difficult to manage. But some guys are doing a very good job and we are getting large batches of good quality fruit coming through now.”

“At Safeway, our promotions deliver huge volume increases so we need the certainty that our suppliers can provide the necessary quantities and the flexibility to deal with the fluctuations in our requirements. Year-on-year we are selling more English fruit: the start of this season has seen us sell double what we sold in the same period last year”.

Safeway works closely with four suppliers of English fruit, two of which supply the supermarket exclusively. “We're very committed to them and also to ensuring that they get what they need from us”. Roberts attributes the sales increases to the store providing a better promotional mix.

Promotions in Safeway are generally price-based, supported by point-of-sale material, which this year is being introduced when Egremont Russet arrives on the shelves in the first week of October and the full range of English top fruit is available.

“Every week bar two this season we have had an English line on promotion,” says Roberts, “and we will try to do so every week provided our suppliers are telling us that's what they want. What I insist on doing is clearing their full crops while the fruit is still in good condition and doing itself full justice”.

Somerfield's James says: “It is our intention to support English Braeburn apples, as well as having English grown Jazz apples and Taylors Gold pears on shelf next year. We expect that the dynamics of our grower base will continue to deliver even better tasting fruit, more choice and more sales. We expect English top fruit to take a higher percentage of our total business, and by increasing English Royal Gala business we have already made a strong move to do this. It is also our intention to support UK pears more heavily.”

Asda pledges its support to English growers with promotions and more practical measures. For example, it claims to have the most wide-ranging size specification of all UK multiples, which includes the smallest possible apples permitted under EU regulations. It has decreased its spec for Bramley to class II ñ on the basis that consumers will not be put off buying fruit with marked skin if they are going to remove it for cooking ñ allowing for more UK product to make the shelves.

The store also has a class II dessert apple line which allows growers to supply nearly all of the main varieties. Becky Leighton, apple buyer at Asda, says: “This enables Asda growers to supply fruit that couldn't be sold as class I within EU guidelines, which obviously increases the return from their crop Asda has the lowest colour specification for Gala apples of all the multiples. Some retailers insist on Royal Gala which must have 50 per cent red colour, we take Gala which means that growers can supply at 33 per cent colour, again giving our growers greater crop utilisation.”

Leighton says that Asda's commitment to stocking English fruit also remains strong: “We prioritise UK fruit above imported fruit. During the UK season we do not take any imported Cox, which is often a lot cheaper. We also sell the entire UK Gala crop that is available to us each year, and feature the UK dessert apple heavily in store to help sell as much as possible. The UK dessert apple bag goes into our stores in the middle of August and remains there until January, until we've exhausted our UK supply. This bag takes Discovery, Worcester, Spartan, Red Pippin, Early Windsor and Royal Gala.”

As part of phase two of Asda's Buy British campaign, all the chain's 263 stores are this year promoting home-grown produce. Part of this campaign is to grant more shelf space to the English apple, and “more prominent positions within the produce department”.

To support this activity, a specialist team is visiting every store in the country to ensure English apples are merchandised as effectively as possible. Each store has been given Union Jack and St George's cross balloons, Union Jack bunting and ëcelebrating homegrown produce' point-of-sale materials to help promote apples in store. For stores in Kent it is using ëProduced in Kent' liners to help promote the fact that the majority of apples are locally sourced.

“Asda is also running sampling promotions in all its stores of Cox apples on October 16th to stimulate flagging consumption of the variety,” says Leighton. “We will highlight Cox as the main UK dessert apple variety and focus on its unique flavour.”

Leighton says: “Asda has distinct sourcing requirements for English fruit. “Some supermarkets rush to get the first English crop into store,” she says. “We feel this is a mistake. If you force growers to pick their crop early, in order to be first with fruit on the shelves, you can often end up with immature fruit being packed which has a poorer flavour. Customers are then left disappointed and many will revert back to imported varieties.

“However, even at the height of the UK season, a percentage of the apples we sell are imported. This is inevitable if we are to offer our customers the choice that they demand. Unfortunately Cox consumption has decreased over the last few years, although varieties like Gala and Braeburn have seen an increase in consumption. There is now a reasonable volume of English Gala, but some growers find it difficult to make significant returns with this variety as there are massive amounts grown throughout Europe.”

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