AHDB: Red meat retail performance
Beef retail performance
Spend on beef products increased by 4.3% year-on-year, as a result of both average price increases (+2.5%), as well as consumers purchasing in greater volumes, some additional 2,142 tonnes compared with the same period last year (Kantar, 12 w/e 29 September 2024). As a result, the 1.7% increase in beef volumes purchased has outperformed the total grocery market.
Processed beef performance drove the overall volume increase, with burgers and grills (+11.5%), sausages (+19.8%) and sliced cooked meats (+4.0%) all seeing improved year-on-year volume performance.
These cuts will have benefitted from some of the summer seasonality of weather and potential for BBQ’s, with the better weather of July and August falling in this period, and as a result saw an increase in buyers as well as the volumes they were purchasing.
Total primary beef volumes saw a slight decline this period (-0.2%) despite steaks (+4.8%) and stewing (+1.1%) seeing volume growth. Both cuts benefitted from an increase in buyers.
Added value products all saw volume growth this period, most notably with sous vide seeing a 31.1% (444 tonnes) volume increase. Added value products benefitted for an increase in buyers this period, likely due to new or renewed ranges in some retailers and is indicative of the increasing need that consumers have for convenience at mealtimes.
Lamb retail performance
Lamb also outperformed the total grocery market, with a 5.5% increase in volumes purchased (Kantar, 12 w/e 29 September 2024). This, combined with a 4.8% in average prices paid resulted in a 10.6% increase in retail spend on lamb products this period.
Processed lamb drove this performance, with a 15.8% increase in volumes purchased (+141 tonnes). Burgers and grills (+21.1%) were key to this performance, with an increase in shoppers and the volumes they were purchasing in, with increases in sales both on and off promotion. Consumers are starting to look for more variation in their meals, and as a result lamb burgers and grills benefitted from switching from the other red meats(Kantar, 12 w/e 29 September 2024).
Primary lamb saw a slight decline this period, with a 0.6% decrease in volumes purchased. However, lamb roasting joints (+6.0%), mince (+1.2%), stewing (+6.0%) and diced/cubed (+9.7) all saw volume growth through existing shoppers buying more. Lamb steaks saw the biggest decline as shoppers turn away from this cut.
For added value products, both sous vide (+17.1%) and marinades (+13.1%) saw volumes purchased increase, with marinade performance due to an increase in buyers, and for sous vide an increase in volumes purchased per shopper driving performance.
Pigmeat retail performance
Pigmeat performance saw a 2.3% decrease in pigmeat volumes purchased, equivalent to 4,726 tonnes less than the same period last year (12 w/e 29 September 2024). Pork was the only red meat to decline year-on-year. This resulted in spend on pigmeat declining by 0.6% year-on-year despite a slight increase in average prices paid (+1.8%).
Volumes of processed pigmeat purchased in this period decreased by 4.1%. Sausages (-0.9%) declined through less volumes purchased per shopper. Sliced cooked meats are an important cut within processed meats, and the summer holidays falling within this period will have impacted on it’s performance due to the importance that classics such as ham sandwiches play in lunchboxes.
Primary cuts also saw volumes purchase decline 4.0%, despite average prices holding in line year-on-year driven by diced and steaks. However, not all products were in decline. Total roasting saw a 2.0% increase in volumes purchased, due to shoulder (14.2%) and loin (9.1%) performance. Both saw improved performance both on and off promotion help to increase the volumes purchased per shopper. Mince (+3.2%) benefitted from temporary price reductions increasing the volumes purchased per shopper.
Added value was the only category of pigmeat to see overall volume increases. This was due to sous vide (+15.9%) and marinades (+15.3%) attracting in new shoppers due to promotional activity.
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