Organic produce has become one of the main drivers of growth for Italian grocery retailers, with sales increasing by 4.2% in the first ten months of 2017, according to Nielsen.
After seven years of double-digit growth, and a 16% increase in the hypermarket and supermarket channel during January-October 2017, organic products have become a regular presence in the shopping baskets of Italian consumers.
Organic now accounts for 3.4% of total food sales, including packaged food, drinks, cold, fresh produce, and pet products.
Retail Trends
Nielsen also highlights the role of the private label brands, which have seen a 15.3% increase in sales of organic goods this year.
The group says that pricing is also important, as consumers consider organic products more expensive. However, in nine out of 20 food categories, the average price of organic products has dropped compared to last year.
Overall, the number of organic references on offer has grown by 21.9% in supermarkets and by 29.3% in hypermarkets.
An estimated 20.5 million Italian families bought at least one organic product during this period, of which 25.1% (5.2 million) buy organic at least once a week.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
