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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 1998, retail sales of fish were estimated at £2.09bn, an increase of 1.5 percent on the 1997 value. Per captia fish consumption was virtually unchanged in 1998 compared to 1997, but price increases pushed market value up. Over the longer term, however, fish consumption has been increasing steadily while consumption of some other staple foods, notably meat, has been declining. In 1992, an estimated 405,000 tonnes of fish and fish products were consumed in the UK but, by 1998, this had increased to 430,000 tonnes. Per capita consumption of fish per week has also risen from 4.99 ounces in 1992 to 5.16 ounces in 1998.
The three main sectors of the retail fish market are fresh fish, frozen fish and canned fish. Fresh fish sales were valued at £491m in 1998, with sales in recent years boosted by an increase in fresh fish sales through supermarkets and multiple grocery chains. Own-label sales dominate this market. Frozen fish sales came to an estimated £620m in 1998, an increase of 2.3 percent on the previous year. Sales growth has been limited because of competition from the chilled foods sector and the weak performances of core sectors such as fish fingers and fish cakes. Frozen ready meals and more premium products are needed to develop the sector. Canned fish is the most popular fish, with 80 percent of households claiming to be regular purchasers. Value sales were estimated at £377m in 1998 and these sales are still dominated by tuna and salmon, although other sectors -- such as mackerel, pilchards and crab -- are growing. In this relatively mature market, growth has been achieved through new product developments and the positioning of these new products as snacks and convenience foods. The remaining £599m worth of sales in 1998 came from other preserved fish such as cured, smoked and speciality fish.
On the supply side, there have been mixed fortunes for certain sectors. The fishing industry is contracting, with year-on-year declines in the number of UK fishing vessels, landings from UK fishing vessels, and the number of businesses in the fishing industry. Overfishing of popular species has led to dwindling stocks and the European Union has established a quota system to limit catches. In the fish processing sector, the number of businesses has increased in recent years. Fish retailing is increasingly being dominated by the large supermarket chains and specialist fishmongers are declining. In 1998, an estimated 51 percent of all fresh fish sales were made through supermarkets and 74 percent of frozen fish sales. While the UK has always been an important exporter of fish, the UK market has had to rely on more imported fish in recent years. The trade deficit in the fish sector is widening year-on-year.
Health concerns, a wider choice of fish species, and the continued shift towards added-value convenience products in the fish sector should enable fish sales to continue to grow over the next few years. Both value and volume sales are expected to increase over the next few years. Key Note forecasts that retail sales of fish and fish products will increase by 2.9 percent in 1999, to produce a market valued at £2.15bn. By 2003, the market is forecast to reach £2.35bn.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

INTRODUCTION

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: Landings of Fish by UK Vessels (000 tonnes and £000), 1993-1996

Table 2: Expenditure on Food and Fish and Fish Products (£m at rsp and percent share), 1992-1998

Table 3: Per Capita Consumption of Meat and Meat Products, and Fish and Fish Products (ounces per person per week), 1992-1998

Table 4: Per Capita Consumption of Fish and Fish Products by Type (ounces per person per week and percent share), 1987 and 1997

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

BY MARKET SECTOR

OVERSEAS TRADE

Table 5: Consumption of Fish in the UK (000 tonnes and percent), 1992-1998

Table 6: Consumer Expenditure on Fish and Fish Products at Current Prices (£m at rsp), 1992-1998

Table 7: Consumer Expenditure on Fish and Fish Products at Constant 1995 Prices (£m), 1992-1998

Table 8: Retail Price Index for Fish (13th January 1987=100), November 1995-September 1998

Table 9: The UK Fresh Fish Market (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 10: The UK Frozen Fish Market (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 11: The UK Canned Fish Market (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 12: UK Sales of Canned Fish by Type by Value ( percent), 1998

Table 13: Household Purchases of Fish and Fish Products by Product Sector ( percent share by value), 1997

Table 14: Own-Label and Branded Sales of Frozen Fish and Frozen Fish Products, ( percent share), 1996 and 1997

Table 15: UK Overseas Trade in Fish and Fish Products (£m), 1990-1998

Table 16: Total Imports and Exports of Fish and Fish Products (£m and percent share), 1997

Table 17: Total Imports and Exports of Fish and Fish Products (000 tonnes), 1997

Table 18: Imports of Selected Fish and Fish Products (£m), 1997

Industry Background

THE UK FISHING INDUSTRY

FISH PROCESSING

RETAIL DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION SHARES

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Table 19: UK Fishing Fleet, 1991-1996Å

Table 20: UK Landings of Fresh and Frozen Fish by Monthly Averages (000 tonnes), 1993-1998

Table 21: Number of VAT-Based Enterprises in the UK Fishing Industry by Turnover Size (number and percent), 1998

Table 22: UK Fish Processing Industry - Number of Businesses, 1992-1998

Table 23: Number of VAT-Based Enterprises in the UK Fish Processing Industry by Turnover Size (number and percent), 1998

Table 24: Number of Fishmongers, 1990-1998

Table 25: Number of VAT-Based Fish Retailing Businesses by Turnover Size (number and percent), 1998

Table 26: Sales of Fish in Specialist Fishmongers (£m and index 1995=100), 1992-1998

Table 27: Distribution of Fresh Fish and Frozen Fish by Value ( percent), 1998

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS

BRAND SHARES

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 28: Estimated Brand Shares in the Retail Frozen Fish Market by Value ( percent), 1998

Table 29: Estimated Brand Shares in the Retail Frozen Ready Meals Market by Value ( percent), 1998

Table 30: Estimated Brand Shares in the Retail Canned Fish Market by Value ( percent), 1998

Table 31: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Fish and Fish Products (£000), Year to September 1997 and 1998

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION

BY INCOME GROUP

BY REGION

PENETRATION OF FRESH FISH

PENETRATION OF FROZEN AND CANNED FISH PRODUCTS

Table 32: Per Capita Consumption of Fish (ounces per person per week), 1992-1997

Table 33: Consumption and Expenditure on Fish by Income Group (ounces per person per week), 1997

Table 34: Consumption of Fish by Region (ounces per week per person), 1996

Table 35: Penetration and Profile of Fresh Fish by Age, Social Grade and Region ( percent of female housewives), 1997

Table 36: Weekly Expenditure on Fresh Fish ( percent of female housewives), 1998

Table 37: Penetration of Fish Products ( percent of female housewives), 1996 -1998

Table 38: Regularity of Fish Portions Served ( percent of female housewives), 1998

Table 39: Penetration and Profile of Selected Fish Products by Age, Social Grade and Region ( percent of female housewives), 1998

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

INTRODUCTION

STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION

PACKAGING

FOOD INGREDIENTS

FISH FARMING

Current Issues

WORLD FISHING CAPACITY

UK FISHING INDUSTRY SUPPORT

UK FISH AUCTIONS

THE SALMON INDUSTRY'S BSE?

NEW PROCESSING CAPACITY

FISH QUOTA SALES

Forecasts

FORECASTS 1999 TO 2003

FUTURE MARKET TRENDS

FISH RETAILING

FISHING AND FISH PROCESSING

Table 40: Forecast Retail Sales of Fish and Fish Products at Current Prices (£m), 1999-2003

Table 41: Demographic Trends and Projections by Age (millions and percent), 1991-2011

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

Text © 1998 Key Note

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Last updated by Jacob van Eldik 20th February 2000