What you need to know
Their high price points compared to many other proteins have a clear limiting impact on the fish and shellfish market, with half of eaters/buying noting that it is too expensive to eat these products often. Accordingly, the market is vulnerable to both price fluctuations and pressures on consumers’ spending power. Echoing the impact of historic retail price increases, the surge in 2017 has hit volume sales, with these slipping 2% year on year. Meanwhile, the value of the market grew 5% over 2016-17 to reach £3.7 billion.
As the squeeze on real incomes becomes more sustained, this also poses a real threat to sales of fish and shellfish. There is a need for more guidance on cheaper alternatives to consumers’ usual products in order to keep them in the market. More budget-conscious shopping habits could herald an ideal setting for the frozen fish/shellfish segment to shine.
Products covered in this Report
This Report discusses the retail sales of seafood for in-home consumption. Seafood is defined for the purposes of this Report to include fish (fin fish) and shellfish (including crustaceans), whether chilled, frozen or ambient. This Report includes plain, as well as processed and ready-to-cook products.
The word ‘ambient’ is used to refer to the segment traditionally dominated by canned fish, which now also includes ambient fish in tubs, pouches and jars.
Excluded from this Report are seafood-based ready meals and sales of seafood through the catering sector, eg fish and chip shops. Sales of sushi are also excluded.
The market size in this Report differs from the Mintel Market Sizes market size for the category because the Mintel Market Sizes figure includes sales of ready meals and meal centres, which this Report does not include.
It also differs from the Mintel Market Sizes market size for the category because the Mintel Market Sizes figure excludes sales of chilled plain whole, filleted or portioned fish, which this Report includes.
Please note that as a result of updated market information, Mintel has adjusted the market size data for frozen fish and shellfish from the previous Report.
