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W hile many things have changed, we can count on summer to stay the same. The sun rises in the morning and beams down hard (especially the further north you go), forcing you into the pool or to turning on the air-conditioning to huddle round watching movies. “Hot weather makes an enormous difference to sales,” Director of Brighton Foodland Director Tim Rugless said. “People entertain and consume more food and drink in warmer weather. If you think about it, during winter people tend to stay indoors and hibernate to a certain degree whereas once the warmer weather begins, the consumer starts to entertain at home and attend social gatherings.” Now more than ever, we’re craving the feeling of unity, and to be quite frank, we all deserve a little celebration. So, what do we say? Go hard (yet responsibly) this summer entertaining season? A ‘staycation’ that entertains “Summer entertaining will change,” CEO of Sandhurst Fine Foods, Mimmo Lubrano said confidently. Mr Lubrano explains that the deli counter at a supermarket has now become a “no-go zone”, due to the fears brought upon by Covid-19. “Someone touching my food behind the counter is causing a lot of fear,” he said. However, despite these fears, Sandhurst has seen a 25 per cent increase in sales, which is closely linked with people preferring to stay at home. With some travel restrictions still being present, most people are going to stay at home, or at least very close to their home. Mr Rugless says that they see an increase in fresh food sales as well as, “...quick and easy meal solutions. “BBQs and salads for tea so that the family can eat together in a relaxed environment. And obviously, cold drinks, ice blocks, ice cream and ice. Leading into weekends sees a great increase in entertaining lines such as gourmet cheeses, platters, dry biscuits, shaslick type lines, fresh salads, fresh fish to name a few.” General Manager of SSS Foods, Jalni Shah said, “With many of us planning staycations during the festive seasons, summer this year will focus on having fun and entertaining at home.” However, regardless of how far people are traveling, most businesses are still expecting an increase in sales during summer. “We do see a change in sales during the end of the year,” Barker’s NZ Project Marketing Manager Megan Weaver said. “In 2019, Q4 was our strongest period accounting for 31 per cent of our total annual value, so we expect to see a similar trend.” Ms Weaver also notes that while the ‘grazing’ approach to enjoy meals has had a big hit, “...it doesn’t mean that summer entertaining has disappeared for good”. For businesses like Frulato, it will be their first summer, “...it has been an interesting time to launch a new product,” founder Cara Besser said. “As newbies with a unique offering, and our growing list of stockists located along the eastern seaboard of Australia, we expect sales to take off during the summer festive period.” Christian Barton from Chilli Marketing, said that the cocktail mix range from Box Mixers is enjoyed all year round however, “Covid has seen consumers drinking more and more at home”. SSS Foods, Ms Shah also doesn’t see a huge difference in sales throughout the summer period, more so a huge shift in the way in which people consume their products. “We do not see a huge difference except through the recipes that people use our hommus for. During summer it’s in salads with lots of fresh vegetables, whilst during winter see our hommus used in pizzas, pastas and lasagnes and new alternatives,” which they track via their website. This is agreed upon by Mr Pisa Gelato Director Marilyn Catelli who says that their sales go up throughout summer, and despite there being change due to Covid-19, there will still be entertaining. “Retailers will focus... on gelato due to the summer entertaining. “It’s a summer product and can be stored in the freezer – used by date is up 12 months,” Ms Catelli said. Push for summer fun A summer spread SSS Foods, based in Sydney produces a 100 per cent natural hommus range made from Australian ingredients. The team at SSS Foods say that the range is perfect for everyone, as it fits vegan and gluten-free diets, as well as being Kosher and Halal Certified. “Summer this year will focus on having fun and entertaining at home, which means more time spent in the kitchen mastering unique creations and the trusty cheese platters,” Ms Shah said. She explains that entertaining experiences will depend greatly on where restrictions are at. “...we may see a greater number of smaller gatherings as people are confined to geographic areas and smaller groups. This has the potential to create a greater market for staples such as hommus.” SUMMER ENTERTAINING In terms of marketing campaigns this summer she said, “we definitely aim to tie into the season and create content across our own channels and PR activity to engage people in the brand for summer gatherings.” Butter for your summer Barker’s NZ aims to provide quality products for food lovers, and pantry staples with ‘no nasties’. This goes for the summertime as well. The team have progressed through their digital journey, especially throughout 2020. “In 2020 alone we have seen the rise of digital entertaining, with deliveries of drinks, formal meals and grazing platters,” Ms Weaver said. “We have also seen growing demand for subscription boxes with key produce, seasonal or event focuses. “We may not be gathering in huge numbers, but people are still finding ways to catch up and enjoy experiences.” When it comes to their specific summer marketing campaigns, Ms Weaver TO PAGE 54 NOV, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 53