Ocado has experienced a ‘Clarkson’s Farm effect’ as sales of British pork and lion’s mane mushrooms soared following their appearance on the new series of the show.
The third series of Clarkson’s Farm aired on Amazon Prime Video this month, following Jeremy Clarkson as he wrangles with the daily challenge of running his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds.
The latest episodes have seen Clarkson introduce pigs to the farm, which had coincided with a significant increase in sales of Ocado pork products, including sausages, bacon and gammon, the online retailer said.
Sales of M&S Select Farms British 12 Free Range Pork Chipolatas had more than doubled week on week, up 134%. M&S Select Farms British 6 Free Range Pork Sausages saw sales increase by 108%, and The Black Farmer Wiltshire Cured Bacon Smoked rose 56%.
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Another new introduction to the farm has been lion’s mane mushrooms, which Clarkson is growing and selling in Diddly Squat’s farm shop. “This clearly captured consumer interest,” Ocado Retail said, with data showing searches for the mushroom variety up by 482% this week compared with last.
“Programmes like Clarkson’s Farm show consumers just how hard Britain’s farmers work, so it’s brilliant to see our customers supporting them,” said Martha Springham, produce trading manager at Ocado Retail.
The online pureplay grocer also linked the programme’s focus on regenerative and sustainable farming practices to a steep rise in sales of organic produce. British organic products products with the largest week-on-week increase in sales were All Things Butter Organic Salted Butter (up by 38%), M&S Organic British Salted Butter (up 34%), Biotiful Organic Baked Milk Kefir Riazhenka (up 30%), and Ocado Organic Portabellini Mushrooms (up 17%).
Sales also “jumped significantly” across meat, fish and fruit & veg from Ocado’s Best of British aisle, following the return of the show.
In March, Ocado claimed to have launched the biggest Buy British shopping aisle of any UK supermarket, following the launch of an 800-item Best of British aisle. The online grocer said that unlike other supermarket British aisles, which could include products manufactured in the UK with ingredients from around the world, Ocado’s aisle “exclusively features products both grown and produced locally”.
The aisle’s launch came after searches for ‘British produce’ on its website were up 77% year on year, while 87% of customers surveyed considered it important to support British farmers.
“Sales of British produce, from pork loin to kefir to mushrooms, have risen dramatically since we launched Ocado’s Best of British aisle, which contains more than 800 quality products spanning fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy,” Springham said. “British produce is among the best in the world and we will always do what we can to champion it.”
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Clarkson’s Farm is also serving as a brand booster for the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, which last month secured its first major listing in Amazon Fresh stores and online.
The brand – co-founded with Clarkson’s partner Lisa Hogan – had previously only been available at the Diddly Squat Farm Shop in the Cotswolds and two other local stores, as well as on the brand’s direct-to-consumer website.
Several Fresh stores have a dedicated bay for the range, which includes piccalilli, fudge, crisps, honey, jams and marmalades, chutneys, seasonings, rapeseed oil, mayonnaise, beef jerky and coffee. Gifts and homewares are also being sold, like the brand’s ‘This Smells Like My Bollocks’ scented candles, enamel mugs and a glass ‘Cow Juice’ bottle for life. Amazon is selling the products at close to the same price as the brand’s own DTC site.
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