As the England football team’s hopes were dashed, fears that the produce industry could see a fall in its phenomenal cross-category sales proved unfounded.
With England-branded products - including Florette’s new Three Lions Salad and TH Clements’ World Cup Cauli, sold at Official England Supermarket Tesco - proving popular during the tournament, some produce players had expressed concern that the fever for fruit and salad products may abate.
Leading prepared specialist Amry Jones of Nationwide Produce said: “There’s been a huge uplift in the warmer weather and it has definitely improved since the tournament began but we are always going to have barbecues in the warm weather, whether England are playing or not. You can argue Wimbledon does the same for strawberries and that uplift always lasts the whole tournament.”
Figures would seem to bear out the switch the tennis tournament’s traditional berry. Budgens has seen a 26 per cent fruit sales lift with deals on strawberries with accompanying cream, cherries and grapes leading the way.
Watirose said strawberry sales were up 34 per cent, and Marks & Spencer 15 per cent, on last year.
Elaine Smith, marketing manager at Florette said: “The weather has helped and last week was our highest sales figure on the Three Lions Salad. We expect to have sold one million bags by the end of next week and sales have been incredible. We have been very careful with our suppliers to not produce too much packaging in case England went out early… the product will come off shelves on 4 July.”
David Hughes, emeritus professor of food marketing at Imperial College, said the weather over the next six to eight weeks was “crucial” in defining the produce year and a positive crop could make up for poor recent summers.
Gary Jacobsen, commercial manager at England licensors CPLG which brokered the Florette deal, said the healthy eating link had helped push sales and it would definitely consider branded produce again.
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