Retail-Booklet_Layout 1 5/31/14 6:01 PM Page 1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF FRESH PRODUCE'S ROLE IN THE UK SUPERMARKET EVOLUTION Retail-Booklet_Layout 1 5/31/14 6:02 PM Page 2 CONTRIBUTORS DAVID SHAPLEY 1970s, he was a founder/director freelancer and a regular contribu- of the monthly Eurofruit magazine, tor to the Fresh Produce Journal, which became Market Intelligence Eurofruit and International Fruit Ltd and now owns FPJ. World, as well as advising a num- Over this period, he also pro- ber of private clients. vided long-term consultancy to His opinions are based on listen- government trade offices in Ja- ing to producers, packers and maica, Cyprus, Spain, the Nether- exporters on travels which have lands, Mexico and France, where taken him around the world he was awarded the Ordre du several times, and nearer to home, Merit Agricole. conversations with English grow- Additionally he was a director ers, wholesalers, importers and on the board of the Fresh Fruit and supermarket buyers. Vegetable Information Bureau for He still makes weekly visits to avid Shapley has been a 22 years, the voluntary, trade- branches of all of the major super- fresh produce marketing backed organisation that estab- markets, identifying how both new journalist for 55 years, lished the Five-a-Day campaign in and traditional sources of supply; who began his career at the UK and was then responsible new varieties; packaging; and the DJ.L.P. Denny, a leading Tunisian for its development. This is still in effect of technology; are being de- fresh date importer in London, and operation now under a govern- veloped and impacting on the in- then Minnear, Munday and Miller, a ment initiative to boost consump- dustry. European and Australian importer tion and a healthy-living lifestyle. David is therefore the ideal man in the old Covent Garden market. When he left the FPJ, David to take a look back at the history of He joined the then-weekly was recruited by another retail- fresh produce in the UK supermar- Fresh Produce Journal in 1960, facing title, The Grocer, the UK’s kets. On the following pages he where over 30 years he became largest weekly trade paper, where charts the progress of the relation- managing editor and a director of he held the position of Fresh Pro- ship between fruit and vegetables, the UK’s leading trade magazine’s duce Editor for 11 years. and the retail shelves. publisher, Lockwood Press. In the Since 2003, David has been a CLAIRE POWELL and Retail Business Development events at locations as diverse as Manager. In that role, working Windsor Castle, China and Assisi, alongside the chain’s head of pro- Italy. Claire has also liaised with a duce, Claire was responsible for huge range of senior executives fresh produce operations at Sains- from a variety of organisations, bury’s, serving as a key link be- including Buckingham Palace, tween the head office and store United Nations, World Bank, Nor- colleagues. wegian and Chinese government She has advised cross function- bodies, religious groups and envi- ally throughout the organisation ronmental charities, such as the and successfully managed Sains- World Wildlife Fund. bury’s winning entries for the Claire has most recently been Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year responsible for events and business 2001 and 2002, then devised an development in the soon-to-open laire Powell has a wealth of extensive public relations cam- luxury Gainsborough Bath Spa, in experience of both the re- paign, which led to an increase in central Bath. tail and events sectors, sales volumes for the department. having spent nine years Claire also researched, de- Cwith Sainsbury’s in London before signed, implemented and evalu- moving to the west of England and ated a new scheme for training coordinating a series of interna- Sainsbury’s 10,000 produce store THE LONDON tional conferences and events. colleagues, a project that impacted Claire started with Sainsbury’s on store performance long after PRODUCE as a personal assistant to a board she had left the company. SHOW AND CONFERENCE PRESENTED BY director before moving into the Her events experience is also THE FRESH PRODUCE CONSORTIUM fresh produce sector as Trading extensive – having worked on AND PRODUCE BUSINESS Retail-Booklet_Layout 1 5/31/14 6:02 PM Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS THOSE WHERE THE DAYS …………… 4 By David Shapley SPREADING THE MESSAGE…………… 9 By David Shapley DECADES OF CHANGE ……………… 11 By David Shapley PRODUCE PIX ………………………… 14 By David Shapley RETAILER HISTORY …………………… 16 By Claire Powell CHARTS ………………………………… 20 Overview of UK’s Major Supermarkets Information Compiled by Claire Powell THE CURRENT SCENE ………………… 22 By David Shapley 3 Retail-Booklet_Layout 1 5/31/14 6:03 PM Page 4 THOSE WERE THE DAYS BY DAVID SHAPLEY here is a danger with any series of duties to hold back compe- which in some cases developed into retrospective look at an in- tition – often still operational out- specialist chains, as well as street dustry that one can fall into side harvesting seasons. markets. The first retail chains had Tthe trap of being either over- Distribution was centred on a begun to emerge, but they were in sentimental, or of viewing past de- network of some 16 primary and their fledgling stages and still velopments with the proverbial secondary wholesale markets, purchased their fruit and vegetables rose-tinted spectacles. which had developed over the cen- in a largely traditional way. However, those with long turies by charter and were mostly Despite what may in hindsight enough memories in the UK would sited in the centre of major cities appear to have been a limited probably agree with me that there or ports of entry across England, choice, new sources with distribu- was a period in the post-war period Scotland and Wales. tion potential moved at a rapid for the UK fruit and vegetable mar- pace, and the British consumer had ket, most notably the 1960s and MARKET-LED never had such access to such a ’70s, which represented something London alone had no less than six wide variety of produce. Many of a golden age. markets (Covent Garden, Spital- market companies whose fascia Fruit was no longer a luxury, al- fields, Brentford, Stratford, The boards reflected the family’s origins though apples were still under the Borough and often forgotten Green- in Spain, Italy, France, Holland, and non-transferable license system, wich), while Liverpool, Southamp- a little further afield Israel, quickly which gave them an unofficial ton, Manchester, Birmingham, built substantial volume businesses. added value as part of the bargain- Cardiff, Bristol, Hull, Glasgow, Ed- Overseas travel was a pre-re- ing process between traders. inburgh and Belfast played the key quirement to success for the UK Sourcing was still largely linked to roles in their respective regions. buyers as well as collective tours or- the Commonwealth ties with Aus- Ports also operated weekly im- ganised by the trade press and oth- tralia, New Zealand and South ported fruit auctions for commis- ers, which began to forge the Africa, while the main player from sion buyers and other wholesalers, close-knit chains of relationships the Continent was Italy. which also serviced secondary mar- that have passed the tests of time The British Caribbean banana ket locations, such as Sheffield, Pre- over several generations. industry was protected by a licens- ston and Newcastle. ing cartel that ensured any shortfall The end customers were tradi- ON COMMISSION was insured against by covered al- tional, independent greengrocers, Successful businesses could be locations. Most home-grown pro- numbering at that time around built in several ways, with the pre- duce was similarly guarded by a 40,000, operating from small shops, ferred method being commission- 4 Retail-Booklet_Layout 1 5/31/14 6:03 PM Page 5 based sales varying between five Cyprus soon followed suit with livered packs of material direct to the and seven percent. The alternative its Potato Marketing Board, and in retail store to get the attention of was a joint account arrangement the Channel Islands, Guernsey the customer. For the first time, fruit with an exporter, who in some jumped on board to underpin the and vegetables began to appear reg- cases would pay for the transport management of its then-thriving ularly on posters that appeared at before splitting the final proceeds tomato industry. Meanwhile, the bus stops and on billboards, while for with the UK importer. Netherlands was in the process of the bigger campaigns local radio, Some produce was bought firm, enlarging and re-energising its tra- and occasionally TV, were also while another route to market — ditional auction-clock system of used. not for the faint-hearted, and par- Dutch auctions, which was the hub The industry was often incen- ticularly associated with Australian for exports of a wide range of prod- tivised too. Trade competitions apples and pears — was to buy as uct grown by hundreds of small were regularly linked to sales vol- far in advance as when the Aussie growers in the country. ume, with attractive rewards of orchards were still in fully funded, often- flower. weeklong trips to A significant factor meet growers. There in this cauldron of com- “…as the British were also other merce was that the in- commercial benefits. dividual grower population expanded and also Large-company pan- remained loyal ellists, who were also to individual whole- became considerably more free to stock com- salers; many were not petitive fruit, were involved in the details multicultural — particularly provided with a level of marketing after de- of advance crop in- livery, and were con- around London — so did the formation that prop- tent, provided there erly facilitated was the arrival of the demand for new tastes.” forward planning.