North America Edition
Two weeks before the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 29), some gift boxes begin to be sold more, including soft-seeded pomegranates, apples, and Shine Muscat grapes. However, at the same time, the sales volume of many fruits remained flat, and the festival effect was not reflected. Some merchants believe that in addition to relatively weak consumption power, the recent continuous rains, the fact that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival coincides with the National Day Golden Week, and many people tending to travel during holidays, also have a certain impact on sales.
Among the Mid-Autumn fruits, soft-seeded pomegranates are produced in Yunnan and Sichuan. It is understood that Yunnan pomegranates were launched earlier, but now Sichuan pomegranates are more popular, the price and sales are obviously better, and the selling price has increased accordingly. Apple gift boxes are also gradually increasing in volume. Currently, the most popular ones include some brands imported from New Zealand and apples produced in Yunnan. These apples are small in size, have ideal fruit shape and appearance, and are packaged in gift boxes. Some merchants said that apples with medium-sized fruits are more popular than large-sized apples and are more in line with eating habits.
Left: Soft-seeded pomegranates; Right: Shine Muscat grapes
Sales of Shine Muscat grapes have improved recently, and prices have increased. According to a number of different merchants, currently, the best-selling products include: medium-sized fruits with prices below ￥5/kg, the price is stable and has not increased, and is suitable for merchants and promotional activities who pursue cost-effectiveness; the other is high-quality items sold at￥10-15/kg, which are suitable for high-end supply or business gifts, and the price has increased recently. The selling price of Qiuyue pears is relatively stable, and sales have begun to increase recently, but sales are slower than other seasonal fruits.
Imported and domestic apple gift boxes
The arrival of Peruvian blueberries has been relatively low recently. In addition, domestic blueberries are at the end of the season. The overall supply on the market is low and prices have risen. For example, the price of a piece (1.5KG) of 20mm+ Peruvian blueberries has increased from about ￥200/piece last week to currently ￥230/piece; the price of 14mm+ Peruvian blueberries is also ￥190-￥200/piece. The arrival of Peruvian blueberries has been low for some time, and the prices are higher than before.
Left: Xinjiang plums; right: Peruvian blueberries
The prices of Xinjiang plums vary. Merchants said that the volume of plums was large this year. Although the price was higher when it first came on the market, the current price is lower than in previous years. For example, 2kg plums packed in plastic frames sold for ￥50-￥60/piece more in previous years, but currently they are about ￥45/piece or even lower. Merchants said that the harvest has basically ended and is being stored in cold storage. It is expected that the selling price will be difficult to increase after that. Some brands are packed into small boxes with high-quality fruits and sold according to different specifications of boxes. The average price is about ￥6-6.5/kg with good sales performance.
Left: Thai mangosteens; right: imported durians
As for imported durians, prices rose last week due to low arrivals, but prices have fallen back this week due to increased arrivals. At present, the price of Vietnamese Monthong A6 fruit is about ￥650-￥670/box; the Thai Monthong A6 fruit is about ￥720-750, and also ￥780/box. Last week, the price was as high as ￥800/box. Merchants said that Thai durians had insect infestation problems before. After September, as the weather in the production area changed, the problem has been significantly improved. However, buyers are worried about quality and after-sales risks and are still very cautious when purchasing durians. Some buyers also choose Vietnamese durians instead due to the relatively stable quality. Merchants estimate that overall durian transaction volume during this Mid-Autumn Festival may be lower than in previous years.
The price of Thai mangosteens rose earlier, but the market response was not satisfactory. The price has now dropped by about 20%, and the selling price is relatively low. The price of young coconut in Thailand is the same as before, lower than in previous years, and it is difficult for the price to recover due to the large volume of arrivals.
