Supermarket Perimeter - January 2025 - 60

Seafood: Value proposition
demonstrating that consumers " will support great products that fit their
needs and lifestyles. "
The popularity of sushi can be used as a gateway to grow
engagement - particular among younger demographics - with the
fresh seafood department, Roerink suggested. For instance, Generation
Z " under indexes for refrigerated/fresh seafood, but loves sushi. "
H-E-B is attempting to grab that shopper's interest with a graband-go
section in the front of some stores with an extensive selection
of sushi alongside several ready-to-cook and heat-and-eat seafood
dishes such as shrimp appetizer and a salmon, starch and vegetable
meal. Roerink said.
" Consumers who are browsing the set with sushi in mind may
encounter these dishes and start to integrate seafood for lunch or
dinner. From there, the leap to the seafood department becomes a
whole lot easier. "
Sushi and shrimp
will continue to
be main drivers of
grocery seafood
sales in 2025.
Entertaining opportunities for seafood
In addition to sushi, seafood trays and appetizers are among the biggest
growth areas for prepared seafood items in the deli and the fresh
seafood department. The upcoming spring holidays and events such as
Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, and Easter provide additional
opportunities for incremental growth.
Sales of seafood trays shot up 37.6% over the past year, according to
Circana, while volume also soared 35%. In the deli department, sales
also rose 2.4%, but volume fell 0.6%.
" Seafood trays are growing rapidly and they are becoming one of the
most popular categories in seafood entertaining, DuBois said. " I expect
trays to grow substantially over the next few years. "
The trend is a " natural evolution " that builds from the charcuterie
trend over the last five years, according to DuBois. " It's very natural for
the millennial and Gen Z generations to include seafood trays as part of
an entertainment occasion and makes for a spectacular presentation, "
DuBois explained.
It is not just seafood trays that have realized growth, however.
Seafood app sales surged more than 147% while volume shot up nearly
76% over the past year. Sales of seafood sandwiches also rose 7.3%.
" Deli entertaining has done well all year. Rather than just celebrating
Sushi sales to spike
Sushi is expected to continue on its upward trajectory after years of
success. Particularly in the past year, sushi sales rose 3.2% and volume
was up 3.6% for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 1, according to Circana.
" That's a nice increase for a large prepared category worth $2.7
billion, " DuBois said.
The increase was partly due to an average price decline of 0.5% over
the past year, DuBois noted.
Sushi is the second most incremental category in the deli
department, behind chicken, according to DuBois.
" It's growing pretty quickly relative to the rest of the store and
bringing volume with it. Seafood can be one of the most important and
powerful categories in prepared foods and that's a huge deal, " he said.
While some other prepared seafood items have lost sales, sushi
sales have surged 64% over the past four years, according to Roerink,
60 - JANUARY 2025
the big holidays, we see consumers a little more willing to splurge
for smaller holidays and entertaining as well, " Roerink noted. That is
because, rather than gathering at a bar or restaurant, more entertaining
and holiday gatherings are happening at home, she explained.
Shrimp rings are one of the most popular items, but retailers are
getting more creative with entertaining options. For instance, some
retailers are creating a mixed sushi platter. Others have added items
such as smoked salmon bites for variety, Roerink said.
Resner suggests providing innovative apps and meals such as
marinated shrimp skewers for grilling, ready-meal packages with items
like fresh salmon and asparagus, seafood dips and spreads, crab-stuffed
jalapeno peppers, and stuffed shrimp.
" The key to success here is being properly planned on target weeks
to promote to maximize results and limit shrink/spoilage, " Resner said.
Because all things " board " remain popular - whether it's the
traditional charcuterie board, a hot chocolate board, or hummus,
according to Roerink - " why not think creatively with seafood in mind? "
supermarketperimeter.com
Africa Studio -stock.adobe.com, 210 Analytics
http://stock.adobe.com http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - January 2025
