Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/116674
SPECIALTY FOOD IMPORTERS Mean Annual Sales: $1,773,334 Mean Number of SKUs: 94 DOLLAR SALES CHANGE 2010 % 2011 % 2012 % Up 20% or more 28 25 27 Up 10–19% 24 19 33 Up 1–9% 20 6 33 4 38 – Down 1–9% 12 6 – Down 10–19% 12 6 7 0 6 – Unchanged Down 20% or more Data may not total 100 due to rounding Source: Mintel The vast majority of specialty importers report sales were up in 2012, with 60 percent enjoying an increase of more than 10 percent. Only 7 percent report a drop in sales, versus 18 percent in 2011 and 24 percent in 2010. 2012 Avg % Distributors—Retail Direct to Retail Distributors—Foodservice Direct to Foodservice Direct to Consumer Data may not total 100 due to rounding Specialty Food Stores 27 – Natural Supermarkets (e.g.,Whole Foods Market) 27 – Online 27 7 Conventional Supermarkets (e.g., Kroger, Safeway) 7 47 7 20 Mass Merchandisers (e.g., Target, Walmart) 7 20 Other Retail and foodservice distributors, at 55 percent and 10 percent respectively, account for the majority of importer sales. Direct-to-retail sales remain a critical component of business, with 23 percent of total sales. 55 23 10 9 2 % Indicating SlowestGrowing in 2012 Foodservice (e.g., restaurants, cafes, school/office cafeterias) IMPORTER SALES BY CHANNEL Share of Total Sales FASTEST GROWING RETAIL % Indicating CHANNEL FOR FastestGrowing SPECIALTY FOODS in 2012 – 7 Source: Mintel Data may not total 100 due to rounding An equal number of importers report that natural supermarkets, specialty food stores and online retail were the fastest-growing channels in 2012. Nearly half of importers note that conventional supermarkets were the slowest-growing channel. Source: Mintel EMERGING CUISINES Region % of Importers 67 Latin, other than Mexican 33 Italian 27 Vietnamese 27 Spanish 27 Eastern European 20 Indian 20 Japanese 13 Thai 13 7 French 7 Caribbean 7 Mexican 7 Chinese 7 Russian – Other 20 Interests Consumers Most Today Will Grow the Most in the Next Three Years 73% All Natural 60% 60% Organic Multiple answers accepted African THE IMPORTER VIEWPOINT: INFLUENTIAL PRODUCT CLAIMS Source: Mintel Mediterranean Mediterranean cuisine leads by far, with more than two-thirds of importers saying it will be hot in the near future. More than one-quarter of importers perceive Latin, Italian, Vietnamese and Spanish as growing cuisines. Chinese and Mexican fared less well, probably because they are already integral to the American diet. 33% 33% Local* 33% 20% 20% Eco-Friendly Sustainable Fair Trade Source: Mintel 20% 7% 7% 7% All natural remains the topmost claim. Moreover, 60 percent of importers think all natural will continue to keep consumers interested in the next three years. Much fewer (one-third) predict that organic will grow in influence by 2015. Although it may be self-preservation, importers are much less optimistic about the growth potential of local products than other suppliers. *"Local" is defined as within 200 miles of operator Multiple answers accepted