“Every year, by the end of November, demand slowdown. Most of the people visit supermarket in order to prepare the presents for Christmas ” said Christophe Rodriguez of AZ France. “ But now some people are still scared to go out to the supermarkets or for shopping after the incidents in Paris last month. That's depressed demand and it's been hard to move fruit.
“The cheapest pineapples, those which was at the end of life, were at five or six euros a box,” said Christophe. “Better to sell them at five euros than to get nothing.” Recently-arrived fruit is commanding prices around 9 euros a box (import Price), though Christophe has seen prices go as high as 10 euros per box. Such low prices have been necessary in order to move fruit because of light demand.
“We expect the market to get better in January, but we're crossing our fingers that it can get better for Christmas,” said Christophe. “If we don't get good demand for Christmas, then it could be a major problem for importers.”
For more information:
Christophe RodriguezAZ France
crodriguez@azfrance.fr