The total value achieved by seafood purchasing in U.K. retail has risen in the past 12 months but the volume and number of sales in the channel continues to decline, new data has confirmed.
According to the latest Nielsen ScanTrack data supplied by the U.K. Seafish Authority, overall sales (not including the discount chains) increased by 4 percent in value to more than GBP 3.25 billion (USD 4.5 billion, EUR 3.7 billion) for the 52 weeks ending 27 January 2018. In volume terms, these transactions equated to 317,121 metric tons (MT) of products and less than 1.2 million unit sales, which were down 3.4 percent and 3.2 percent respectively year-on-year.
The figures also found that chilled seafood – retail’s lead category – experienced a growth in sales value of 4 percent exceeding GBP 2.1 billion (USD 2.9 billion, EUR 2.4 billion) for the 12-month period. Crucially, though, consumers bought less of these products (volume and units) than they did a year previously and paid much more for them. In volume terms, chilled sales amounted to 150,627 MT or 612,299 unit sales, with an average price across the category of GBP 13.94 (USD 19.35, EUR 15.76) per kg or GBP 3.43 (USD 4.76, EUR 3.88) per unit.
Meanwhile, the value of the frozen seafood category increased by 5.5 percent to GBP 728.5 million (USD 1 billion, EUR 823.5 million), and ambient seafood sales grew by 1.9 percent to GBP 429.5 million (USD 596.3 million, EUR 485.5 million). The volume and number of units sold in frozen were down 0.9 percent and up 0.9 percent respectively, and in ambient they declined by 9.5 percent and 7.1 percent.
Chilled sales accounted for an increased 64.5 percent of the U.K. retail market, while the share occupied by frozen and ambient fell to 22.4 percent and 13.2 percent respectively.
In terms of the species sold across all categories, the U.K. retail market was led by salmon with total sales of GBP 916.2 million (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1 billion), up 4.6 percent year-on-year, which was based on a volume of 51,596 MT (down 10.3 percent) and unit sales of 226.2 million (down 9.6 percent). Salmon was followed by cod and tuna with sales values of GBP 406.5 million (USD 564.4 million, EUR 459.4 million) and GBP 325.3 million (USD 451.6 million, EUR 367.7 million) respectively, although only cod showed any increase in volume – rising 1.2 percent to 48,258 MT.
The price per kg of these three species increased by 16.6 percent, 5.1 percent and 14.9 percent respectively.
Fourth-placed warmwater shrimp and fifth-placed haddock showed the best all round growth among the market’s dominant five species.
Sales of warmwater shrimp over the 12 months increased in value by 2.4 percent to GBP 269.7 million (USD 374.4 million, EUR 304.8 million), and the volume (18,411 MT) and number of units sold (83.5 million) representing increases of 0.3 percent and 1.6 percent respectively. The data confirmed that the average price of this product only increased by a relatively modest 2.1 percent per kg to GBP 14.65 (USD 20.34, EUR 16.56).
Haddock sales, meanwhile, increased in value by 6.3 percent to GBP 208.8 million (USD 290 million, EUR 236 million), with the volume (20,356 MT) and number of units sold (65.9 million) up 3.7 percent and 2.4 percent respectively. The average price of haddock increased by 2.5 percent to GBP 10.26 (USD 14.25, EUR 11.60) per kg.
With 23.1 percent of the total sales value, Tesco continued to be the country’s leading seafood retailer, followed by Sainsbury’s with 15.2 percent and Morrisons with 9.5 percent.
Aldi with 9.5 percent showed the most growth year-on-year. The discount chain has seen its market share of total seafood sales rise by 1 percent in each of the past two years.
