Brits and Germans still buying their berries

From Jan-July, Germans bought over 283,300 tons of berries at retail, up nearly 5% YoY, while fruit sales in general fell almost 7% (AMI). Despite fears to the contrary, the volume of strawberries rose (+3%) but the spend fell 2% and demand was weak in July. Blueberries remain on-trend and high import volumes plus high yields in Germany led to low prices and a high number of advertising stimuli, with strong demand in weeks with a lot of stimuli. The result was an 8% boost to volume while spending slipped 1% and average prices 8%. All other berries gained in volume and most also in value, but the average spend/kg was lower for almost all berries. The overall berry spend for Jan-July came in much the same as last year at over €1.4 billion, but AMI Market Analyst for Fruit and Vegetables Michael Koch says the outlook is more difficult, with Germans having less money to spend over winter.

Berry spend stable in UK

In the UK, another major berry market, the volume sold at retail has slipped 1.5% YoY to just over 234,820 tons but the spend stayed at just below £1.7 billion for the year to July 10 (Kantar). Strawberries, which deliver 61% of the UK berry market volume and 46% of its value, declined 3% in volume while gaining slightly in spend. Blueberries stand out for 4% growth in volume, to 52,320 tons, and a spend up slightly to £484.6 million – nearly 30% of the total berry value.