Frozen burger sales fall 43% in wake of horse meat scandal
The horse meat scandal has resulted in a sharp fall in sales of frozen burgers and ready meals according to figures released by Kantar Worldpanel.
The research firm said that in the four weeks ending 17 February, frozen burger sales dropped 43% while frozen ready meal sales fell by 13%. Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “So far the issue has only affected the performance of individual markets rather than where consumers are choosing to shop.”
Kantar’s latest grocery share figures show that Tesco came under pressure during the period, with a drop from 30.1% a year ago to 29.7%. However, the fall is thought to be due to the heavy discounts Tesco offered in the same period last year, rather than the effects of the horsemeat scandal.
Within the big four supermarkets, Sainsbury’s was the only retailer to increase its share in the period, with a 4.6% growth rate. Morrisons was the only retailer to post a sales decline as it suffered due to the lack of an online sales presence.
Garner continued: “Waitrose and Aldi deliver all-time record shares this period of 4.8% and 3.3% respectively indicating that market polarisation and the ‘two nations’ consumer climate continues. Iceland records 10.1% growth confirming that the frozen food category as a whole remains robust.”
The total grocery market is growing at an annual rate of 3.7%, which lags behind grocery price inflation of 4.3%. Kantar said this reflected shoppers’ coping strategies of switching products and retailers and seeking out discounts and offers.
