Duck is booming in UK supermarkets, according to key supplier Gressingham, with a combination of increased marketing spend, “comprehensive” promotions and new listings driving a significant increase in sales.
Total fresh duck category value sales in the mults rose by 27% to £124.8m in the 52 weeks to 26 January [Kantar], with volumes climbing by 40.6%, penetration rising by 20.1% to 17.6%, and buying frequency up 6.6%.
This growth came against the backdrop of a 9.8% fall in average price, while Gressingham’s branded products also enjoyed strong growth, with the Kantar data showing spend up 14.7% to £72.2m over the same period, with volumes climbing by 27.8% and penetration up 14.8%.
Duck’s share of the total poultry market now stood at 16.7%, up from 15% in 2015, with Gressingham holding a share of 11.3% of all duck sold.
Unlike most other proteins, there is no government-backed marketing board for duck, “therefore the Gressingham brand is key to the success of the category”, it said.
As one of the few, and largest, of the category’s branded players, Gressingham’s “vigorous marketing activity” over the past 12 months had therefore benefitted the entire sector, the supplier added, helping drive “excellent sales growth for duck”, according to brand manager Rebecca Alderton.
“In 2024 we invested in TV advertising for the first time, as well as new recipe development, packaging redesign, and in-store promotions as well as placing more emphasis in social media activity,” she said.
The subsequent growth boosted the Suffolk-based supplier’s annual turnover from £146.5m in 2023 to £170m in 2024, according to accounts for parent Green Label Foods on Companies House. Operating profit also rose, by 193.4%, to just under £10m.
“As the only major supplier of ducks in the UK, we use the Gressingham brand as a tool to grow the category as a whole and our increased consumer engagement not only boosts sales of our own duck products, but of poultry as a whole,” Alderton added.
“We intend to continue investing in marketing this year with a strong programme of activity that will continue to drive sales.”
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