Next casualty of supermarket price wars could be butchers

Woolworths has overtaken fruit and vegetable shops in terms of percentage of market share, with Coles close behind, the latest Roy Morgan Supermarket Currency Report shows.

Woolworths has led the $14.5 billion per annum fruit and vegetable market since it overtook fruit and vegetable shops in December 2009. While the fruit and vegetable shops’ market share has been declining since December 2008, Coles’ market share has surged. Despite fruit and vegetable shops being ahead of Coles by a significant margin, Roy Morgan predicts that Coles will overtake fruit and vegetable shops soon.

For the last eight years, butchers have held the largest percentage of market share in the fresh meat category, but have not been far in front of Woolworths. With the news that Coles’ market share in the meat category has recently increased, Roy Morgan has asked whether the fresh meat category may follow the fresh fruit and vegetable category, with butchers being overtaken by one of the supermarkets.

Roy Morgan speculates that Coles’ recent advertising campaign stating that all its meat is now 100% hormone free could see the balance shifting in favour of supermarkets within the meat category.