Premium-priced berries have shown impressive growth over the last 12 months, with blueberries as the "star performer", bucking the recession-driven downward trend that was previously apparent in many other segments.

This was one of the conclusions of the Global Berry Congress, held today (12 May) in London's Tower Bridge Hotel, which attracted some 215 delegates from countries as diverse as Uruguay, the US, Chile, the Netherlands and Egypt.

Welcoming delegates to the event, British Summer Fruits chairman Laurence Olins said the conference served as "a timely reminder" of the need for the berry sector to challenge itself "in all areas of the business to strive for further success".

According to Edward Garner from market analyst Kantar World panel, until 2009 budget berry ranges were experiencing "huge growth" in European markets, but this segment is now "selling less than it was a year ago, with premium ranges up".

"Soft fruit expenditure has more than doubled over the last nine years and it's a market with 6 per cent year-on-year growth," said Mr Garner. "The biggest segment is strawberries by a long way, but the star performer is blueberries.
"More people are buying more and they're buying more frequently - it's a very buoyant picture."

Andy Jackson, soft fruit category manager for UK-based retailer Asda, told delegates that price was "key" to driving sales in the soft fruit sector.

"Customers love a deal and these products are great footfall drivers," he said.

"Customers love seasonal promotions, they love buying in season and they love to feel they've got a good deal."

Steven Maxwell, Eurofruit Magazine