Spanish supermarkets shift more fruit & veg

The recovery in prices and good weather have been a boon for retail sales of fruit in Spain, which in the first nine months of 2015 were up 10.2% on the same period last year.

According to a post by Nielsen Spain’s retail services account manager Gema del Castillo, vegetables have also increased their presence in shopping baskets, rising 7% compared to Jan-Sept 2014.

Del Castillo singled out the avocado for special attention, noting sales growth of 43.9%, “possibly helped by its status as a ‘superfood’.” Also undergoing strong growth were courgettes and artichokes, which both increased their sales by more than 20%, with broccoli not far behind (+19.9%).

But it’s the classics. such as oranges and potatoes, which are still the most common in Spanish shopping baskets, she said.

Fruit and vegetables are also gaining ground in online sales, with growth of 26.3% in sales of this produce online, compared to 8.7% for sales in physical stores.

Interestingly, it’s not just the sale of heavy produce, such as oranges and potatoes, that were popular in online sales, but also ready-to-serve and seasonal produce items. Del Castillo said sales of the latter were helped by online promotions.