British lamb makes a comeback in retail
New retail data released by Kantar Worldpanel has revealed that 2020 is turning into a bumper year for lamb. The latest figures, covering the 12-weeks through the late summer and early autumn to 4 October, show that British shoppers spent 15.5% more on lamb than during the same period last year, and consumed 11% more by volume. Taking the year as a whole, lamb sales have rebounded strongly after a disappointing Easter – traditionally a time of peak demand but which this year was badly impacted by lockdown restrictions on family gatherings. Since then, consumers have looked to new options as they’ve had more time to cook at home, and lamb has been a popular choice. Total spending on lamb in Britain is now up 7.9% on the year to date.
This is considered to be good news for Welsh lamb sector, as HCC and retailers have invested in increased promotion in-store and via social media.
The figures suggest that the main reason for lamb’s growth in popularity is not only that existing consumers are buying more, but that new customers are giving lamb a try. The number of people purchasing lamb is up 9%, with nearly a third of households buying it at least once during the 12-week period.
While lamb is still most popular among older consumers, this year has seen a number of younger shoppers trying lamb. A strong year-on-year increase in terms of the volume of lamb purchased has been seen in households with children (+17.2%) and shoppers aged under 45 (+13.4%).
“After instability in the markets earlier in the year due to the disruption of the foodservice and hospitality trade, lamb’s popularity has been a notable feature of the British retail market. Our marketing strategy has centered on responding to consumer trends in this very unusual year – working with famous chefs to encourage people to try out new ideas at home. We’re pleased that the data shows increasing numbers of families and younger consumers trying lamb. We’ll continue to target marketing at this group in the run-up to Christmas", commented HCC’s Data Analyst Glesni Phillips.
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