Land Strategies Blog

The Food Consumer 2009

2009-01-06T16:02:00Z

Tis the season for predictions, and whilst the cynical might feel that forecasting in today's volatile climate has as much chance of accuracy as Mystic Meg, a trawl of what the pundits are saying is showing alot of concensus about where consumers Read More......(read more)

Pros and Cons of a Locally Sourced Xmas Dinner

2008-12-27T10:37:00Z

According to a recent report from Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year John Geldard and Henry Brown of Westley Consulting the local foods market could grow from its current £2.34bn to over £15bn in 10 years. A growing number of consumers believe that local Read More......(read more)

Tesco Outgunned by the Competition - Some Reasons Why

2008-12-04T16:10:00Z

So Tesco is getting outgunned by the competition. Third quarter results show their sales up by a miserable 2% compared with Sainsbury up 4.3%, ASDA up 6.9% and Morrisons up 8.1%. The root cause is customer defection. An analysis by TNS the market research Read More......(read more)

What Tesco Think About Local Foods

2008-11-25T16:44:00Z

Boy, do Tesco tell it like it is. Alistair Robinson,Senior Buying Manager buyer for the North of England, addressed the Institute of Agricultural Managers conference last week. His topic was "Local Foods Opportunities with Supermarkets". Here's Read More......(read more)

Trends at Sainsbury - Justin King Speaks of Consumers, Farmers and Buying British

2008-11-17T14:07:00Z

The conference and lecture season is in full swing and a few days ago Justin King, Chief Executive of Sainsbury spoke at the Royal Agriculture College's annual Bledisloe lecture. Smooth shaven, hair slicked back, immaculately suited and lightly tanned Read More......(read more)

Masterchef's John Torode Talks about Chefs and Farmers

2008-11-03T13:31:00Z

John Torode, restaurant owner, president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and co-presenter of BBC's Masterchef, strode on to the stage at last week's English Food and Farming Partnerships conference to deliver a speech entitled "Why Read More......(read more)

Unthinking Consumerism - R.I.P

2008-10-20T16:39:00Z

It looks as if the days of "I want what I want when I want it" are over, even for the relatively affluent, and even when it comes to food which still only accounts for about 10% of UK consumer expenditure. Shoppers are planning more carefully Read More......(read more)

Why Do EU Consumers Reject Cloned Food?

2008-10-12T15:17:00Z

The recent European Commission report about consumers giving the thumbs down to cloned food has been widely reported. What has received less coverage are the reasons for concerns, and whether the UK feels any differently from other EU countries. Overall Read More......(read more)

What Makes a Brand? The Aberdeen-Angus Experience

2008-09-26T08:16:00Z

Two news clippings caught my eye last week. One, in the Times, told us that French gastronomes have selected Aberdeen-Angus beef for La Bocuse d'Or, apparently the world's most prestigious cooking competition. The director of the competition said Read More......(read more)

Food Buying Habits - How, When, and Why Did It All Change?

2008-09-12T14:45:00Z

Food shopping habits have changed. Consumers are changing where they shop, how they shop, and what they buy. Morrisons, home of low prices, and Waitrose at the premium end of the scale, both published half year results a couple of days ago. Morrisons Read More......(read more)

Farm Shops - The Good, the OK, and the Truly Terrible

2008-08-24T17:05:00Z

There's been an explosion in the number of farm shops opened recently. FARMA, (National Farmers' Retail and Markets Association) reckons there are now over 1000 in total, and a recent article in the Telegraph suggested that the number is 1796 Read More......(read more)

A Shift to Thrift - Organic Sales Well Down, Red Meat Not Far Behind

2008-08-11T16:09:00Z

Whether its Gordon Brown telling us not to waste food, a general belt tightening in an effort to pay the bills, or more questioning of the value of what we buy, there is a definite change in consumer buying habits. A well publicised example of the shift Read More......(read more)

A Shopping Trip to ALDI

2008-07-31T10:37:00Z

To ALDI, and a look at what all the excitement is about. Latest figures from research company Taylor Nelson Sofres say that discount stores in general and ALDI in particular are growing sales at a great rate as cash strapped shoppers flock to take advantage Read More......(read more)

Jargon Busting - What is "Provenance"?

2008-07-22T15:12:00Z

Its amazing how jargon creeps into business language. "Provenance" is a classic example. No food discussion passes without reference to provenance. Farmers are regularly told that having provenance is big market opportunity, and that people Read More......(read more)

Red Meat Grocery Sales - Beef and Pork Holding Up, Lamb Down

2008-07-09T09:33:00Z

The new British Pig Executive (BPEX) website now carries monthly red meat sales through supermarkets. Here's a look at data for the 12 weeks ending 18th May 08 compared with last year.Data is compiled by TNS. 1. Price inflation is not as rampant as Read More......(read more)