The Italian Berry Retail Monitor conducted a survey on January 2, 2024, in the urban area of Brescia, covering 17 retail points from 17 different banners belonging to 16 major distribution groups.
During the survey conducted by the Small Fruits Observatory in Brescia, several elements emerge as crucial indicators of market dynamics and challenges faced by industry players.
Prices and Variations: Blueberries are presented as an affordable option, with moderate prices echoing the needs of cost-conscious consumers. However, the analysis reveals significant fluctuations in the costs of blackberries, raspberries, and red currants, with variations depending on the considered brand. This heterogeneity necessitates a thorough evaluation of pricing strategies adopted by different distributors.
Logistics and Availability: The supply of products on the shelves is limited, influenced both by the dedicated space and the number of available baskets. The presence of stockouts emphasizes the need for a more effective logistics management to avoid disruptions in the supply.
Packaging and Consumption Trends: The 125g format for blueberries emerges as a dominant choice.
Quality and Differentiation: The quality of small fruits becomes a critical point of differentiation. While blueberries enjoy a more positive situation, blackberries and raspberries face greater qualitative challenges in meeting consumer expectations.
Freshness and Inventory Management: The freshness of batches, with a maximum limit of one week, underscores the importance of accurate inventory management. Timeliness in product rotation and minimizing waste emerges as crucial aspects to ensure consistent quality.
Brand and Market Positioning: With few brands standing out, the market is predominantly dominated by major distributors.
Survey Highlights:
Assortment:
- In the berry category across the visited retail points, assortments ranged from 1 to 6 references, with an average of 3.4 references per store.
- In the 17 visited retail points with berry assortments:
- 88% featured Raspberries
- 100% featured Blueberries
- 53% featured Blackberries
- 41% featured Red Currants
- 24% featured a Tri-mix
Range Diversity:
- 12% of retail points with berries had a single reference available.
- 41% had 2 or 3 references.
- 47% had 4 or more references, showcasing a broad spectrum of offerings.
Quality Assessment:
- Groups with the highest quality standards included Aldi, Bennet, Carrefour, Conad, Gruppo PAM, Lidl, MD, Migross, Prix, Rewe, and Sigma.
Price Analysis:
- Raspberries (18 observations): Min €14.65/kg, Max €27.92/kg, Average €22.5/kg.
- Blueberries (28 observations): Min €15.96/kg, Max €27.84/kg, Average €20.65/kg.
- Blackberries (10 observations): Min €19.92/kg, Max €31.84/kg, Average €24.86/kg.
- Red Currants (8 observations): Min €19.84/kg, Max €31.92/kg, Average €23.2/kg.
- Tri-mix (4 observations): Min €23.27/kg, Max €26.53/kg, Average €24.35/kg.
- Overall (68 observations): Min €14.65/kg, Max €31.92/kg, Average €22.28/kg.
Brand Presence:
- A total of 25 brands of small fruits were identified in the visited retail points.
- "i Piccoli" emerged with the highest average prices in the category.
- Hortosabor Italia and Aldi stood out for having the lowest average prices for Blueberries.
Packaging Trends:
- 71% of the observed Blueberry products were sold in packages with a net weight of 125g.
