The number of facings is the number of items fitted horizontally along the front of a shelf. British facings refers to the share of the total facings that are British in origin.
The total number of British facings in the beef market is up 2% compared to November last year but down 2% on August 2019. The total number of British facings in the lamb market is also up 3% on this time last year and 4% up on August 2019.
The November results show Aldi, Morrisons, the Co-op and Waitrose continue to sell 100% British beef and lamb products and Back British Farming. The NFU welcomes those retailers that have made commitments to British sourcing, such as Waitrose pledging to source 100% British lamb for all fresh and frozen products by 2021. Click here to find out more about this announcement.
Tesco has seen the largest increase in British facings across the board, with British beef and lamb facings up 30% and 27% respectively compared to this time last year. Concerns about the future EU -trading relationship post Brexit and the challenges the sector is facing regarding the market price for beef has raised significant concerns for all our members. Tesco’s increase in British facings is therefore welcome against this backdrop of uncertainty.
Lamb
Asda has increased its British lamb facings by 25% since August, which is likely due to switching from summer to winter ranges coupled with the introduction of some new products.
Budgens has reached 100% British lamb, up from 84% in August. However, there has been a drop in the number of Red Tractor logos on products, although it is thought the products are still likely to be Red Tractor assured.
Across 10 Iceland stores there was a limited availability of lamb and 0% of this was British. As we understand, fresh lamb is unlikely to fit with the typical Iceland customer profile, as the shopper is likely to be more interested in buying frozen products. Beef and lamb watch figures only consider fresh product, however we understand there was frozen British lamb available for customers to purchase
Beef
Sainsbury’s has experienced a slight downward trend on beef since June 2018 where it peaked at 96%. Currently the percentage of British beef facings stands at 84% which is a 9% decrease on this time last year. It is likely that summer/winter range changes mean that the ratio of UK to Republic of Ireland on beef has changed.
Asda has experienced a decline in British facings since August 2019. This is likely due to a range change. Burgers, which have made up a lot of British products, have been removed from shelves since the last audit meaning the percentage of British has fallen slightly. However, British facings are still up 7% on last November.
The NFU will continue to encourage all retailers to Back British Farming.
Read AHDB’s market summary here.