Supermarkets claim bulk of NZ fresh produce spend

Just 15% of fruit and veg expenditure is in fruit shops. Kiwis spent $4.9 billion on fresh produce last financial year—over $3.6 billion of which went to supermarkets.

In the year to June 2013, almost three quarters of our $93 million weekly average fresh produce expenditure went on supermarket fruit and vegetables, meat, bread, deli foods and fish.

Almost 80% ($74 million) of our total fresh produce budget goes on fruit, vegetables and meat—and supermarkets dominate both categories: 70% of the fruit and vegetables budget and 77% of meat.

Pip Elliott, General Manager, Roy Morgan Research NZ, says: “Kiwis are clearly doing a one-stop grocery shop by purchasing their fresh produce at the supermarket rather than traditional fruit and veg shops, butchers, bakeries, delis and fishmongers. It’s no wonder the major supermarkets are engaged in a price war for a larger share of the nearly $5 billion fresh food market."

“Overall market-share leader Countdown has engaged in two public battles recently over price comparisons in advertising—between both supermarket rival Pak ‘n Save and meat chain Mad Butcher. In the year to June, Countdown trailed Pak‘n Save in the fresh meat category, taking $450,000 less per week, however both supermarkets took over three times the Mad Butcher chain’s $2.6 million in average weekly customer sales.”

Source: www.newsmaker.com.au