Retailers offering fresh seafood are encouraged to stock their fridges in preparation for half a million extra seafood buyers this Easter weekend.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan Research said fresh fish, scallops, oysters, salmon and prawns were likely to be on the menu for many Australian families over the Easter long weekend.
ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said that while kids think of Easter as a chance to eat copious amounts of chocolate, adults see the holiday as a seafood occasion.
“It is interesting to see that over the last five years about 36 percent of grocery buyers had consistently “bought fresh seafood in the last 4 weeks.” At Easter, this percentage lifts to over 42 percent of grocery buyers – a massive increase of 6 percent or roughly half a million extra seafood buyers.
“While Australians of all religions love their fish and seafood in general, Christians make up 81 percent of the sales lift for the Easter month.
“Many Christians avoid red meat over Easter and in particular on Good Friday, so it’s not surprising that the likelihood of seafood purchases over the Easter period increases significantly.
“It’s more important than ever in today’s tough economic climate for retailers to make the most of holidays such as Easter. The ARA is pleased to see smart retailers promoting their Easter goods and services heavily while using innovative marketing strategies to do so.
“Of course, seafood retailers aren’t the only ones preparing for extra demand this weekend. Retailers offering classic Easter buns, chocolates and novelty products will no doubt experience a surge in sales over the next few days,” Mr Zimmerman said.
