'We have been planning for a 50 per cent year on year increase, but there is only a 10-20 per cent increase in availability because of difficult growing conditions in Chile, South Africa and Australia,' said Gordon Winterbottom of Coregeo, the Pink Lady trade mark owner's UK agency. 'However, there is plenty of demand and so we expect that the fruit will go short from late September into October as supplies tighten.' First supplies of Pink Lady apples from Europe are not expected until the first week of November.

There has been some encouraging news for the premium apple marque from the latest Taylor Nelson Sofres Fresh Focus Fruit Monitor. The survey shows that buyers and consumers of Pink Lady scored the apple highly across a range of categories relating to the image of a product and loyalty to it such as flavour, juiciness and quality. The only higher scoring variety was Cox among its consumers. 'For us the goal is to keep building awareness,' said Winterbottom. 'Because awareness leads to trial, and once people try the product they become quite loyal to it - more loyal than to any other brand of apple except Cox.' Pink Lady is also the seventh most recognised apple variety according to TNS figures for April with its score rising from seven per cent to nine per cent over the previous six months. It came in behind Cox, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Bramley and Gala and ahead of longer established cultivars such as Red Delicious, McIntosh, Empire and Jonagold.

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