You know the economy is in a mess when sales of baked beans fall. And, with the average retail price still climbing, the number of promotions on tinned goods has soared by a third in the past 12 months.

The average price of tinned products has risen 5% from £1.23 to £1.30 in the past 12 months [BrandView.co.uk 52 w/e 10 July 2012] compared with a 4% increase in the previous year. But over the same period the number of promotions has soared from 9,048 to 12,085, with brands accounting for all of the increase.

A year ago, own-label was the most-promoted part of the tinned goods market, accounting for 13% of all offers, but the number of own-label offers has fallen slightly over the past 12 months.

And yet, despite the shift in favour of branded promotions, Kantar Worldpanel data for the canned goods market shows an overall 2.6% decline in volume sales of branded goods while own-label sales have grown 1.3%, giving own-label a 46.1% share of the market [Kantar 52 w/e 15 April 2012].

Some of the biggest retail price increases in percentage terms have been seen on the canned fish fixture, with the typical unit price up 9% year-on-year from £1.84 to £2.03. Mackerel fans have been hardest hit, with the average price rising 18% year-on-year, followed by sardines at 16% and salmon at 15%. Category stalwart tuna rose 8% over the year - the equivalent of 20p per pack - though this was down from the 15% year-on-year increase recorded in the preceding 12 months.

Price hikes also slowed down in the baked beans market, with the average rise slowing from 10% last year to 3% - helped by an increase in the number of promotions from 401 to 585, with the typical saving dipping slightly from 24.6% to 24.2%.

An increase in promotional activity also appears to have helped reduce price inflation in the tinned pasta market, with the average unit price rising just 1p year-on-year to 68p, compared with a 7p increase over the preceding 12 months. In the past year, the number of promotions on tinned pasta has risen from 794 to 1,022.

Two areas of the market flagged up by Kantar as strong performers over the past year were tinned soup and desserts. “They have been stand-out performers within the sector - in growth both in terms of value and volume - whereas other markets continue to show value growth but are in volume decline,” says Kantar analyst Hussein Hussein.

In terms of pricing, tinned desserts have risen from 79p per unit to 86p on average, although the biggest increase in percentage terms was on own-label products, up 9% year-on-year from 61p to 67p. Soups, meanwhile, are up 3p on average, from £1.05 to £1.08, while the number of promotions in the category have soared from 3,034 to 4,333.

Wholesale prices 14 July 2012: fruit and vegetables

British farmers are battling inclement weather in many parts of the UK, so it is little surprise to see the price of many fruit and veg favourites starting to rise.

Potatoes are emerging as a concern - although prices are only modestly higher than last year, they have risen by nearly 25% in the past month. Plantings are expected to be down 5.5% on last year, and the wet weather has delayed the new crop and created problems with crop diseases and rotting.

Carrot prices are also up significantly year-on-year, as supplies have tightened as a result of the weather, although they have dipped somewhat over the past month.

Fears about the apple crop have been making headlines, but despite the prospect of some varieties coming in below last year’s volumes, UK apple prices have remained largely stable. At £1,155/tonne, the average price is now 4.8% higher than last year but down 3.8% month-on-month.

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