British Apples and Pears Retail Webinar
Grower organisation BAPL has appealed to all UK supermarkets to boost their uptake of British apples this coming season and invest in initiatives to reinvigorate the domestic apple category.
Speaking at a retail webinar on Tuesday (16 May), BAPL executive chair Ali Capper said the UK top fruit sector would like each retailer's share of British apple sales to exceed their UK grocery market share during the 2023-24 season. Domestic apples currently account for about 40 per cent of all apples sold in supermarkets, and BAPL would like that to grow, she said.
Capper added that BAPL has designated October 2023 as British apple month and wants to work with retailers to create "more instore theatre" around the new domestic season.
The board has asked retailers to collaborate by investing in in-store promotions and sampling to drive consumer behaviour, and in return will promote individual retailer British apple packs across BAPL social media platforms, she said.
British Apple Month
Over the course of British apple month, BAPL would like to see British Gala apple sampling in 50-100 stores per retailer; life-size posters of UK apple growers in store; prominent union jack apple fixtures at point of sale; better aisle-end support for British apples; clear British apple visibility for online shoppers; and social media and marketing support for British apples and British apple month.
BAPL singled out Aldi and Lidl for special praise in championing British-grown apples in stores last season.
Running through last season's sales figures, Capper said the UK discounters were standout winners when it came to their percentage share of British apples sold between September 2022 and April 2023.
Selling 26,100 tonnes and 18,200 tonnes of British apples respectively, Aldi and Lidl's sales far exceeded their supermarket market share, she said.
Aldi's volumes represented a 20.6 per cent share of total British apple sales, yet its grocery market share stands at 10.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Lidl's volumes accounted for 13.4 per cent of total sales, and its grocery market share is 7.6 per cent.
BAPL House of Lords Horticulture Committee evidence
On 20th April 2023, Executive Chair of British Apples & Pears Limited, Ali Capper, gave oral evidence to the House of Lords Horticulture Committee.
The oral evidence was a follow-up to written evidence already submitted to the Committee by BAPL.
As Ali explained to the House of Lords Horticulture Committee:
"The shopper seems to be being charged more, but the money isn't coming back down to the farm gate. There's something wrong in the supply chain."
"Growers need certainty. The trees we plant this year, we ordered two years ago. They won't come into full production for another five or six years. You won't hit profitability until year 12 or 13. We're taking massive risks and we need certainty, especially around seasonal labour."
16 May 2023
The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met with representatives from across the whole UK food supply chain to discuss how government and industry can work together to support a thriving UK food industry.
The English Apple Man Comments
Life today seems to carry so much uncertainty, as an Octogenarian I wonder about all sorts of things. The Global political scene is enough to worry about, and my fruit growing friends face a very uncertain future. At the National Fruit Show AGM in April, I was overwhelmed by the articulate presentation by Emily Norton as she delivered the James Nicholls Memorial Lecture The ease of which she delivered her presentation AND the content within left all present commenting on her capability!
Emily forwarded the editorial which summarises quite well, all our concerns about the outcome of the Downing Street Food Summit at Number 10
"For anyone puzzled about the significance of last week's Food Summit at No 10, I suggest reading Andrew Meredith's excellent editorial in this week's Farmers Weekly - "a few measures that will mildly sedate the pain of the status quo" just about nails it."
"a few measures that will mildly sedate the pain of the status quo" just about nails it."
That is for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man