The survey took place on 27/12/2023 in the urban area of Piacenza (Italy) and involved 18 retail points belonging to 18 brands affiliated with 14 large distribution groups.
The assortments of the following brands' retail points were surveyed: Aldi, Basko, Conad Superstore, Coop, Dpiù, ECU, Esselunga, Eurospin, Galassia, Gulliver, Il Gigante, In's, Ipercoop, Lidl, MD, Penny, Sigma.
At the time of the visit, Naturasì did not have small fruits in its assortment.
The retail market for small fruits in Piacenza proves to be interesting, with multiple facets influencing the consumer shopping experience. Some relevant aspects include variable prices, product availability on shelves, and peculiarities of small fruit batches, with particular attention to blueberries.
- Variable Prices: One of the most evident features emerging from our analysis is the significant price variability among different brands. Although the small fruit market is generally characterized by high prices, it is interesting to note how these prices can fluctuate significantly from one store to another.
- Shelves Not Always Full: The presence of shelves not always stocked may indicate a sign of supply slowdown, especially in anticipation of the post-holiday period. Stockouts observed indicate a potential logistical challenge, with the risk of negatively impacting the availability of small fruits, compromising the consumer shopping experience.
- Blueberries in Different Sizes: Among the most popular small fruits, blueberries stand out with sizes ranging from 170g, 250g, and 300g. However, the absence of the 500g size might be a gap for consumers accustomed to larger options. This variety in sizes could be a point of consideration for consumers seeking flexible options based on their needs.
- Variable Quality: An important aspect to consider is the quality of available small fruits. While blueberries seem to enjoy positive evaluations for their quality, there are signs of fluctuating satisfaction for blackberries and raspberries, especially in pre-holiday batches. This difference in quality could influence consumer choices and their trust in the offered products.
- Pre-holiday Batches: The presence of batches with pre-holiday dates can have a significant impact on the freshness and quality of small fruits. Understanding this dynamic could be crucial for consumers attentive to the freshness of the products they purchase.
- New Brands, Including Foreign Ones: An interesting feature of the assortment observed in Piacenza is the introduction of several new brands, some of which are of foreign origin. This suggests a growing internationalization and greater diversification of options available to consumers, opening new opportunities for choice and experimentation.
Assortment
In the small fruit category in the visited retail points, there were a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 6 references, with an average of 2.9 references per retail point.
In the 17 visited retail points where a small fruit assortment was present:
- 82% have blackberries in assortment.
- 100% have blueberries in assortment.
- 53% have raspberries in assortment.
- 24% have red currants in assortment.
- 18% have a mixed berries assortment.
Range
- 6% of retail points with small fruits in assortment have a single reference for sale.
- 65% of retail points with small fruits in assortment have 2 or 3 references for sale.
- 29% of retail points with small fruits in assortment have 4 or more references for sale.
Quality
The groups with the best quality are Aldi, Basko, Esselunga, Eurospin, Gulliver, Lidl, Rewe.
Selling Prices
- Blackberries (16 observations): min. € 18.32/kg, max. € 27.20/kg, average € 22.87/kg.
- Blueberries (28 observations): min. € 11.92/kg, max. € 27.20/kg, average € 20.79/kg.
- Raspberries (10 observations): min. € 15.92/kg, max. € 27.84/kg, average € 24.30/kg.
- Red Currants (4 observations): min. € 15.84/kg, max. € 23.84/kg, average € 20.64/kg.
- Mixed Berries (3 observations): min. € 21.87/kg, max. € 26.60/kg, average € 25.00/kg.
- Overall Total (61 observations): min. € 11.92/kg, max. € 27.84/kg, average € 22.11/kg.
Brands in Decreasing Average Price Order (€/kg) in the Small Fruit Category
| Retailer | Raspberries | Blueberries | Blackberries | Red currnats | Triple pack | Total average |
| Coop | 27,20 | 27,20 | 27,20 | |||
| Ipercoop | 27,04 | 27,04 | 27,04 | 23,84 | 26,24 | |
| Sigma | 25,20 | 25,20 | 25,20 | 25,20 | ||
| ECU | 25,20 | 25,20 | 25,20 | 25,20 | ||
| Il Gigante | 23,04 | 20,06 | 27,84 | 23,04 | 26,53 | 24,10 |
| Gulliver | 23,92 | 23,92 | ||||
| Eurospin | 23,92 | 23,92 | 23,92 | 23,92 | ||
| Galassia | 18,53 | 26,24 | 21,87 | 22,21 | ||
| Esselunga | 22,24 | 23,84 | 19,84 | 21,97 | ||
| Conad Superstore | 23,84 | 21,75 | 23,84 | 15,84 | 21,32 | |
| MD | 15,96 | 26,60 | 21,28 | |||
| Basko | 20,72 | 20,72 | 20,72 | |||
| Penny | 19,92 | 19,92 | 19,92 | |||
| Lidl | 19,92 | 17,94 | 18,93 | |||
| Aldi | 19,92 | 16,77 | 19,92 | 18,87 | ||
| In's | 18,32 | 19,92 | 15,92 | 18,05 | ||
| Dpiù | 23,60 | 11,92 | 17,76 |
Brands
The stores visited featured small fruits from a total of 22 brands.
The brand with the highest average prices in the category was Sant'Orsola Buone Feste.
The brand with the lowest average prices for blueberries was found to be Hortosabor Italy, followed by Aldi.
Packaging
75% of the references detected in the blueberries product is sold in 125g net weight packages.
