Canners in Seattle interested in promotions after a period of inactivity Canned salmon promotional activity now switches to pinks Sales of red salmon in the run up to Christmas are reported to be better than expected, due no doubt to the heavy promotional activity, which included some 99p price tickets on 213g. Attention now switches to pinks with more retailers participating in the bogof deals, and talls for the price of halves. 418g pink talls will carry labels offering 96% free, a strategy which has proved very popular in the past. Both Princes and John West have been active in setting up the deals, supported by canners in Seattle who have been interested in promotions after a period of inactivity. Recent forecasts for Alaska this year indicates a reduction of fish which could mean the pack of reds is down by 35% on last season. Much will depend on the frozen market in Japan, which at the present time is suffering badly due to the economic situation and poor consumer demand. If the Bristol Bay patch is down by a third but Japan is not a buyer, then the packers will can more product rather than freeze, thus there could be a canned pack similar to last season. Easter will be the test period for red promotions, although it is unlikely that there will be any 99p tickets. One importer told The Grocer: "If sterling continues to strengthen against the US dollar, it may give an opportunity to repeat the 99p, but at the moment, it is out of the question." {{CANNED GOODS }}

Topics