Despite consumer prices continuing to rise slightly, consumer sentiment appears to be slowly improving in the current year, said Niklas Bergmann from the market research institute GfK at the start of his presentation. The discounters were able to set themselves apart from the competition in 2023, as they are continuing to increase their sales dynamically in 2024. The presentation of current market figures and trends is now an integral part of the supporting program at the annual Fruit and Vegetable Congress (DOGK) in Düsseldorf. Meanwhile, interesting developments can be observed within the fruit and vegetable category.
In relation to other fresh foods (including meat and baked goods), fruit, vegetables, and potatoes have grown disproportionately (2.6 percent). Likewise, It is noticeable that fruit and potatoes are driving price increases, while vegetable prices are easing somewhat after the high prices per kilo of the previous year. This is reflected in a slight increase in vegetable sales volumes.
Niklas Bergmann presented the GfK market figures for the first time.
Downward trend for mangoes, avocado still on trend
The overall positive volume trend for many products is offset by the massive losses in exotic fruit (-18.1%) and top fruit (-5.9%), Bergmann also explained. "Mangoes are the biggest driver of losses in the exotic fruit segment, while avocados continue to show a growth trend," he said, referring to the growing consumer reach of avocados. According to GfK, 38 out of 100 households bought avocados at least once in the first half of 2024.
In the top fruit segment, a total of 725 grams fewer apples and 470 grams fewer pears were consumed per household in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, while prices per kilo rose significantly. Meanwhile, stone fruit consumption rose sharply this year: in the first half of 2024, 7 kg of stone fruit was purchased per household, an increase of 1 kg compared to 2022. The 25 percent of shoppers with the most intensive stone fruit purchasing behavior bought an impressive 18 kg on average.
Promotions more important than ever
The relevance of promotions at the POS was also analyzed in detail by GfK. Promotions account for 23 percent of barcoded sales, and the trend is rising. Promotions also continue to play an important role in fruit and vegetables. The share of sales based on promotions is slightly higher for fresh fruit (23.5%) than for vegetables (18.5%). Bergmann: "Promotions make a significant contribution to product sales, and their effect is further enhanced by the reduction in purchasing power and increased price sensitivity."
Encouraging trend for fruit vegetables
The consumer's reluctance to buy was further underpinned by the example of fruit vegetables. Fruit vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc.) continue to dominate the vegetable market and are once again available at favorable prices. In the last two years, there have been significant fluctuations in the price per kilo of individual fruit vegetable products, partly due to the energy crisis. Compared to the same period last year, fruit vegetable prices fell by seven percent in the first half of 2024, with a similar trend in the root vegetable sector (-8.1%). The only negative exception in the vegetable category is asparagus, where sales volumes fell by 4.6 percent compared to the same period last year.
Price sensitivity was further analyzed based on price differences between snacking vegetables (including mini fruit vegetables and carrots) and their regular counterparts. Despite the significantly higher prices per kilo at the POS, sales volumes of snacking varieties continue to show disproportionately high growth. This indicates that price sensitivity does not apply to all products and consumer groups. "You have to be able to afford the higher price. That's why the buyers of snack vegetables also come disproportionately from the upper-income brackets," Bergmann concludes.
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