Meat product sales were strong throughout the 2023 festive period with consumers opting for more varied meats, industry trade bodies have confirmed.
According to the latest data from Kantar, UK supermarkets saw their highest level of transactions in December since 2019, with a record £13.7 billion passing through the tills and £803 million spent in physical stores.
Volumes of festive meats including pigs in blankets, sausages, hams and turkeys were up 6% collectively. Head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Fraser McKevitt said: "We're creatures of habit when it comes to Christmas and our data shows that the classic festive plate remains much the same.
"The rate of inflation is coming down at the fastest pace we have ever recorded, but consumers are still facing pretty hefty pressures on their budgets. Retailers were clearly working hard during the festive period to offer best value and win over shoppers, and promotions were central to their strategy.
“The traditional retailers always tend to do well in the run up to Christmas and this year was no exception. Supermarkets saw especially strong performances for their own-label lines, with sales of premium ranges like Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference and Tesco Finest surging by 11.9% compared with last year to hit £790 million – accounting for 5.7% of all grocery sales. Branded sales rose by 6.0% during the same period.”
Growth in butcher sales
The Q Guild Butchers reported that independent retailers across the UK had a successful Christmas trade with sales either similar to 2022 or showing a slight increase.
Butchers reported that the period was busy, with staff illness and customer requests adding to pressures. The Q Guild stated that some shops did not open on Christmas Eve, and some gave an extra day off after Boxing Day as members remain "mindful of staff work-life balance".
Online ordering for Christmas was revealed to be similar to 2022, but instore purchases were up in December 2023, seemingly driven by increased last-minute purchases.
Members of Scottish Craft Butchers reported on social media that they had received record orders over the festive period, with some closing their order books earlier than originally announced.
Consumers move away from whole turkeys
The National Craft Butchers stated that members had seen an increase in demand for boneless turkey, with many consumers moving away from the traditional whole turkey. Online sales were reported to be strong, with many saying that without the threat of bird flu shops saw orders come in later than in 2022.
Butchers across the UK also saw sales growth in beef, with increased purchases in all areas including joints, wellingtons and fillets.
Pork producer Pilgrim's UK reported that demand for pork products increased during the Christmas period, stating that it had produced over 600,000 packs of pigs in blankets and 65 million packs of pork in preparation for the Christmas season.
The producer reported a decline in turkey consumption during Christmas 2022, which fell from an average of 10% of the market over the last five years to 7% in 2022. Pilgrim's reported a switch from turkey to low cost meat options like pork in 2022, and confirmed a continuation of the trend in the weeks leading up to Christmas in 2023.
Rachel Griffiths, chief commercial officer at Pilgrim’s UK, said: “Evolving consumer tastes and the rising cost-of-living continues to bring more cost-effective and versatile pork products, such as gammon and pork crackling joints, to centre stage for Christmas dinners."
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
