The burst of hot weather has certainly got the soft-fruit sector working overtime, and several stores that I visited this weekend had run out of strawberries by the time the afternoon arrived, writes David Shapley.

While everyone is programmed to feature UK fruit, I noted some arrivals from the United States still coming in to plug the gaps.

With the rumours that we are in for some heatwaves this summer, it could turn out to be a bumpy ride, but this may also be an added impetus for retailers to give raspberries more prominence. The first of the English and Scottish crop have already been sighted.

But when it comes to the battle for shelf space, growers may find themselves competing more directly elsewhere. Stone fruit is a classic example, particularly with the late start - and there are more and more cherries on the horizon.

The first US fruit is already here, including those golden high sugar cherries, which at one time were considered too fragile to ship. How logistics have moved on.

And no-one is going to forget blueberries. The public seems to have taken this super-fruit to its heart since last year, so there is a real step change in volumes compared with even two years ago. I even hear that blackberries may be going the same way, simply because their health attributes have been identified.

On the citrus front, while everyone is still wondering about the price of grapefruit, it has always been a time of year when orange and easy peeler sales tend to struggle because of the above alternatives.

Sourcing has shifted to the southern hemisphere, which is why it was intriguing to find Spanish Navels in Tesco under the Finest label (pictured), and even more so because the 80/85 mm netted pre-pack of four was identified as Powell Summer Navels. Historically the trade has always associated the end of May with northern hemisphere Valencias.

Also, indirectly on the citrus front, the Sainsbury's Caribbean banana pre-packs at £1.39 for six (pictured) were eye catching, if for no other reason than they were promoting satsumas.

The printed bags are part of a buy any two for £2 promotion. If the idea catches across the retail trade I hope we are not entering an era where labelling becomes even more confusing.

A more downright method of boosting sales comes from Marks & Spencer (pictured) as far as the Kenyan Fine Beans are concerned. Two 165g trays from Kenya at £1.39 are simply strapped together.

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