Gammon gross sales up over the festive interval

Posted on Jan 31, 2023

Gammon gross sales soared over the festive interval, with main meals producer Pilgrim’s UK delivering greater than 4 million pork merchandise to British retailers, together with virtually 1.6 million contemporary gammon joints.

Total, retailers skilled a 5.1% uplift in quantity (kg) gross sales and a 23.6% improve in worth gross sales YoY of contemporary gammon merchandise within the 4 weeks to twenty fifth December as customers switched to various centrepieces at Christmas.

Recent major gammon additionally elevated its quantity share (kg) of the broader protein class by 5.5% YoY as much as 9.4%.

This standout efficiency is a part of an ongoing decline within the quantity of turkey consumed at Christmas, down from 10% to 7% during the last 5 years. Its share of quantity (kg) additionally fell by 15.6% within the 4 weeks to Christmas Day 2022, in comparison with the identical interval in 2021.

This yr has been additional impacted by fowl flu lowering the supply of contemporary turkey, coupled with customers recognising the worth and flexibility of pork, particularly gammon joints.

Rachel Griffiths, chief industrial officer at Pilgrim’s UK, mentioned: “There’s been an ongoing shift in client choice away from turkey in direction of options like pork, which was particularly evident this Christmas and compounded by the rising cost-of-living and turkey shortages.

“Customers switched to more cost effective pork merchandise, corresponding to gammon joints, to be the star of the present for his or her Christmas dinner centrepieces, rising in quantity gross sales by 5.1% in comparison with final yr. It’s versatility, easy and extra power environment friendly cooking methodology and completely scrumptious style additional solidified its place as a key festive staple.

“Our devoted groups began manufacturing early to satisfy this demand for pork merchandise producing virtually 1.6 million prime quality gammon joints and greater than 157,000 pork crackling joints to make sure our retail clients had been nicely stocked for the festive interval.”