Butcher red meat sales growing faster than market average

Gordon Newlands, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS),  Brands Development Manger

Gordon Newlands manages  the Scotch Butcher’s Club, which supports butchery businesses to promote Scotch Lamb PGI, Scotch Beef PGI and Specially Selected Pork.

Consumers across Scotland are continuing to support local. Butchers in Scotland have seen more than 20% increase in value in year-on-year sales and remain one of the strongest red meat retailers in Scotland.

In Great Britain, the latest figures analysed show butchers are growing faster than total market in value and volume. Kantar data shows butchers are seeing a 28.3% increase in value in sales and are up 28.6% volume over last year, compared to the rest of the market which is averaging +20.2% in value and 18.3% in volume*.

According to Kantar, in the latest 12 weeks, the increase of shopper arrival (+15.8%) remains the main source of growth for butchers in Scotland. Shoppers have also increased their basket size during their trips at the butcher (+7.3% volume per trip). The rise in demand for Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork was recorded amongst the annual Veganuary movement.

The pandemic has really raised awareness of the importance of sustainable supply chains and supporting local businesses.  All Scotch meat, from farm to plate, is reared and produced in Scotland by local businesses.  It’s particularly reassuring to see consumers are staying loyal and supporting the industry especially during January.

Almost 1 million (966,650) more retail meat purchases were made in Scotland in the four weeks to 24 January 2021, up by almost a third (29.7%) vs the same period last year.  Total meat sales in Scotland exceeded £31.6million, £7million higher (29%) than the same period last year.

The butcher trade is working extremely hard to adapt and to keep customers in challenging times. They have not taken the foot off the gas despite several months of extended hours.

From Shetland to London, you can find Scotch Butcher Club members that champion the craftmanship, product knowledge, speciality and innovation that is unique to independent butchers.

The Scotch Butchers Club is a group of likeminded butchers who are all accredited by Quality Meat Scotland for being committed to sourcing quality assured Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork from Scottish farms that adopt best practice regarding animal welfare and production methods.

With research showing that almost four in five Scots (79%) agree that it is important to keep supporting local suppliers as we continue coming out of lockdowns**, there has never been a better reason to shop at your local Scotch butcher, where you can be assured that the meat you are buying is of top quality and supports local producers.

For more information on Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork, or to find out more about the Scotch Butchers Club, visit www.scotchbutchers.com.

* Kantar Worldpanel, total unprocessed red meat, 12 weeks to 24th January 2021

** Research carried out in July 2020 by Censuswide on behalf of Quality Meat Scotland to examine consumer attitudes towards grocery shopping