Italians are increasingly turning to Ready to Eat meals, which have seen a growth both in value (+23.4%) and in volume (+18.3%), a study has found.
According to Nielsen data, the market for Ready to Eat meals in Italy is worth €446 million (48 million kg), of which hypermarkets, supermarkets, independent players and discounters account for 97.8 per cent of the turnover.
Leading the growth trend are hypermarkets, whose sales in value have grown by 41.4 per cent, while the average number of references has gone up from 87 to 107. Positive sales figures are also being registered by supermarkets (+27.1% in value, +22.9% in volume).
Sales of Ready to Eat meals in discount stores, worth €60 million (accounting for 13.5% of the Italian total), saw a growth of 33.8 per cent in value and 29 per cent in volume, marked by an increase in the average promotional price (from €5.36 to €5.92).
Also increasing is the number of average references (from 16 to 20), reflecting the strong evolution of supply but also the desire for variety and novelties by consumers.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
