Land Strategies Blog

Cattle Farm Gate Prices Up But Beef Consumption Down

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:04:00 GMT

Whilst beef farmers breathe a sigh of relief that farmgate prices for cattle have improved, there is a cloud on the horizon in the shape of falling beef eating. In the 12 weeks prior to Christmas the amount of beef bought from shops plunged by 9 %. And...(read more)

Shaking Up the Milk Market - Why Muller Might Want to Buy Wiseman

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:15:00 GMT

At first blush it seems very odd that Muller Dairy, a very successful branded yoghurt and desserts company, would shell out £279m to buy Wiseman – a one product, one distribution channel company who are totally reliant on selling a commodity to fickle...(read more)

Tesco Pays the Price for Ignoring its Customers

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:41:00 GMT

It’s been a dramatic week for supermarket watchers. First, Morrisons who had been the clear leaders in the grocery war of late announced that their sales over Xmas period had grown by a tiny 0.7%. Dalton Phillips their Canadian chief executive said it...(read more)

Riverford and Abel and Cole - The Contrasting Styles of Guy Watson and Keith Abel

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:20:00 GMT

The two big names in organic veg boxes have been in the news recently, but their messages could not be more different. Guy Watson has been explaining that the price of Riverford’s produce is typically 20% less than the supermarket equivalent and that...(read more)

Local Food Gains Ground as Consumers Support Those Closest to Home

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:01:00 GMT

The move towards buying local food has been around for several years now and the economic downturn seems to have made consumers even more inclined to support nearby producers. According to the Institute of Grocery Distribution, the number of shoppers...(read more)

Strong Brands Win Again - Dairy Crest Outperforms Robert Wiseman

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:36:00 GMT

Half year profit results from Robert Wiseman and Dairy Crest once again show the perils of being a one product, one sales channel company operating in a commodity market. Wiseman’s who sell only fresh milk saw pre tax profits drop by 42%, from £20.2m...(read more)

Warning Call From EBLEX - More Must be Done to Boost Red Meat Consumption

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:59:00 GMT

Hard work is needed to keep consumers buying beef and lamb. That is the message coming from EBLEX’s recent conference , and it is an important one. Farm gate prices are strong just now, helped by a reduction in supply from UK farms, a reduction in imports...(read more)

Connecting with Consumers on Smartphones - Now Key to Business Success

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:58:00 GMT

“A nation addicted to smartphones ” is how Ofcom summarises its findings from a recent piece of research, saying that 27% of all adults and almost half of teenagers now own a smartphone (a mobile which connects to the internet). Smartphone owning numbers...(read more)

The Top Four Issues Worrying Food Shoppers Struggling with Austerity

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:02:00 GMT

According to the Institute of Grocery Distribution’s Shopper Track research the top four areas where cash strapped consumers are seeking help are: 1. Sticking to a budget 2. Reducing waste 3. Making shopping a less tedious experience 4. Understanding...(read more)

Being Creative with a Commodity - How Meat Marketers are Adding Value

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:28:00 GMT

These beefburgers, with their reference to breed and Britishness neatly capture some of the ways that marketers are adding value to meat. The British reference is important as consumers continue to seek reassurance about where their food comes from, and...(read more)

Speciality Farm Produce Available Online - Former Asda CEO's New Venture

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:21:00 GMT

One of the more interesting news items from last weekend is that Andy Bond, former chief executive officer of ASDA is investing in Farmison.com, an online food retailer which aims to provide home cooks with speciality food ingredients produced by small...(read more)

Going for Growth - How Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, Morrisons and Aldi are Tackling the Challenge

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:02:00 GMT

Growth remains the holy grail for all supermarkets. Here we look at four different approaches - M&S and Waitrose at the premium end of the market, Morrisons in the mainstream, and Aldi the discount chain. The discount sector remains an endless source...(read more)

Canny Consumers - Cutting Food Costs Without Cutting Quality or Amount Consumed

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:47:00 GMT

Peter Marks of the Coop, trying to explain a 4.6% reduction his first half year food sales, said that “People are spending less on food – that’s a first.” Kantar Worldpanel confirms the cutback, explaining that in the last three months grocery sales were...(read more)

Red Meat Consumption Update - Beef and Pork Steady, Lamb Plummets

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:04:00 GMT

Shoppers bought 19% less lamb in the 12 months to mid July 2011 than they did in the previous year. (Source: Kantar Worldpanel) By contrast, volume sales of beef are up 1%, pork and sausages up 2%, sliced cooked meats up 3%, and bacon up 5%. Overall,...(read more)

Buying British - Catering Companies Letting the Side Down Badly

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:13:00 GMT

Unlike supermarkets, catering companies are not obliged to tell the public where the food they sell every year actually comes from. So you and your family could be eating anything from anywhere, and produced to heaven knows what standards. Quite apart...(read more)

Supermarkets' Own Brands - An Increasingly Important Battleground

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:01:00 GMT

For the first time in a long time supermarkets are struggling to grow food sales. Food inflation of around 5% plus economic uncertainty equals shoppers trading down, seeking promotions, cutting waste and sticking to a budget. All of which gives a headache...(read more)

Renewed Growth of Discount Grocers Prompts Return Visit to Aldi

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:05:00 GMT

Discount grocers sales are booming again, with growth levels not seen since the recession of 2008. Aldi is up 21% in the last three months and Lidl not far behind at plus 16%. Their combined market share has reached an all time high of 6.1%. Kantar Worldpanel...(read more)

Milk Drinking Bolstered by Retail Price Cuts of 5p Per Litre

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:54:00 GMT

A dip into Dairyco’s data on the milk market shows that fresh milk volumes have grown by 2.5% in the year to June 2011, but the retail price paid per litre has dropped by 8% , due to the milk price war waged by supermarkets. So far, so not newsworthy...(read more)

Inside Consumers' Heads - The Psychology of Dealing With Economic Difficulty

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:17:00 GMT

Consumer confidence has fallen again according to GfK NOP the social research company, and is now lower than at any time in 2010. It is unlikely to bounce back any time soon. Indeed research done with British consumers by Bord Bia the Irish food board...(read more)

27% of People Cutting Back on Food

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 08:12:00 GMT

Consumers are prioritising expenditure on their mobile phone contract and subscription to satellite TV ahead of food, says research published by insurance company AXA. Apparently 27% of us are cutting back what we spend on food, but only 5% are cancelling...(read more)

Adding Value to Beef - Morrisons Traditional Breeds Venture

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:14:00 GMT

The news that Morrisons supermarket has introduced a scheme paying farmers a premium for beef from traditional cattle breeds marks a new effort to prove that value can be added to a product which many dismiss as a commodity. This is an attempt to brand...(read more)

Online Grocery Shopping - Some Facts and Figures

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Sun, 15 May 2011 09:25:00 GMT

My search for hard data about trends in food buying continues with a look this week at online grocery shopping. This is another topic receiving considerable media coverage, and attracting massive financial investment. Morrisons supermarket paid £32million...(read more)

Consumer Purchases of "Ethical" Foods - Some Data from DEFRA

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:21:00 GMT

It is difficult to get a factual grip on the difference between what consumers say they will do and what they actually do when buying food. DEFRA has had a stab at this as part of their effort to build a sustainable food chain. Their research confirms...(read more)

Shedding Some Light on the Organic Consumer

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:58:00 GMT

Organic consumers are complicated souls. For a start, according to a thorough piece of research from Better Organic Business Links , on behalf of the Organic Centre Wales, there is no such thing as an “organic only” consumer. Not one of 1407 shoppers...(read more)

Brasher of Tesco and King of Sainsbury Confirm Changed Consumer Behaviour

Land Strategies Farming Blog — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 09:54:00 GMT

Figures from the ONS last week indicated that shoppers are buying less food, with volume sales in February down 2.2% compared with February 2010. There were reports that this is the biggest month on month drop since records began in 1988. According to...(read more)