Russian market of canned fish and marinated preserves moving towards premium segment (part 1)

The market of canned fish and marinated preserves is gradually becoming more premium. Delicatessen fish with red meat, non-finfish aquatic products and caviar have been enjoying an increasingly great demand. Moreover, the market trend is pointing at the exotic products displaying the strongest sales growth. It is worth noting that the consumption of the caviar both red and black has been increasing from year to year, writes Novosti Torgovli magazine.

Delicatessen red fish, caviar (red and that of other fishes) and non-finfish aquatic products are the fastest growing categories of the market of canned and marinated fish preserves. According to the deputy director of Russian Sea Company Vitaliy Azhnin, quoted by the report, recently the consumption of salmonids (Atlantic salmon and trout) and red caviar has increased considerably. The market of marinated fish preserves is growing due to introduction of new products. The turnovers in the market segments of capelin roe, Alaska pollock roe and cod roe are also growing. According to Nielsen Russia Company, the growth of retail sales of red caviar in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in February-September 2007 amounted to 48% by volume and 91% by value in comparison with the same period in 2006. The growth of sales of marinated salmon preserves during the same period totaled 59% by volume and 64% by value.

As compared to these segments, Russia's bestseller herring with a 13% volume increase and a 10% value increase remained far behind in terms of growth rates. At the same time the volume of herring sales has substantially exceeded such salmon figures. In February-September 2007 the herring sales were 63% greater than those of salmon and trout. But owing to much higher price and the growth of packed delicatessen red fish consumption (in 2006 the ratio of red fish to herring was 1:4, and for the first 9 months 2007 it was already 40% of total marinated fish preserves by volume) the volume of retail sales of marinated red fish preserves in value terms surpassed those of herring by 47% in three largest Russian cities.

As the experts state, the reasons of such shift on the market of canned fish and marinated fish preserves are driven by income growth and the tendency to healthy life style under an increasing lack of time.