Tesco has been under-trading on English top fruit in the first half of the season, according to data released this week by promotional body English Apples & Pears.
The figures reveal that total tonnage sold this season to 2 January is 3.6 per cent up on last year’s levels.
However, while Tesco’s share of English apple sales through the multiples ran at 25.6 per cent last season, so far this season it is at just 18.8 per cent.
One retail analyst told FPJ: “Tesco has lost its way strategically. I think they have failed to communicate well with growers and to create theatre in stores and attract consumers.”
It is mainly the rest of the big four that are stealing Tesco’s English apple share. Asda’s share is up from 10.3 per cent last season to 13.2 per cent so far and Sainsbury’s has climbed from 26.8 per cent in 2008-09 to 30.5 per cent in 2009-10.
Morrisons has also made large gains, from a 16.2 per cent slice of the pie last season to 19.1 per cent this year.
Although trading much smaller volumes, Marks & Spencer has climbed from 2.5 per cent to 3.2 per cent and Waitrose has held firm at 6.7 per cent against 6.8 per cent last year.
Adrian Barlow, ceo of English Apples & Pears, congratulated M&S on “excellent growth” and Waitrose on its “great support for English”, as well as Asda’s “impressive growth in sales”.
Barlow described performances from Sainsbury’s and Morrisons as “superb” and “great” respectively. But he added: “Prices overall are below a level to justify new investment... This must be corrected if the industry is to increase production to meet the government’s target of 20-25 per cent.”
Meanwhile, the secondary launch of the apple season last month garnered national TV and radio coverage. Barlow said: “It’s fantastic - the advertising equivalent value of the coverage to date is £1.5 million.”
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