Top-fruit figures differ for major retailers

English Apples & Pears has revealed to FPJ the major supermarkets’ share of this season's English top-fruit sales.

The English crop figures, are collated by EAP and based on sales of Cox, Bramley, Gala and Conference.

Tesco has sold 32.8 per cent of the English fruit this season, followed by Sainsbury’s with 26 per cent. In third place on the list, and, like Sainsbury’s, far out-punching its weight in the overall market, comes Waitrose, which has marketed 8.6 per cent of the crop. Morrisons and Asda, consistently the two retailers that significantly under-index on English apples and pears, have taken 8.5 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively. The Co-op (6.8 per cent) Somerfield (5.1 per cent) and M&S (4.2 per cent) made up the remainder of supermarket sales, according to EAP data.

“Clearly we want Asda and Morrisons to increase their sales,” said Adrian Barlow, EAP chief executive. “And they are genuinely keen to do that. Tesco, with its share of the overall market, is obviously very important and its performance is excellent. Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have both again been fantastically supportive of the English crop.”