July 23, 2021 — Rising seafood prices due to inflation continue to cause concern among the entire industry, including retail and foodservice buyers.
Frozen seafood prices experienced the biggest gain in the second quarter of this year – up 9.2 percent versus the same quarter in 2019 to USD 6.96 (EUR 5.95) per pound on average in U.S. grocery stores and mass retailers, according to IRI and 210 Analytics. Frozen prices also grew 3.2 percent in the quarter versus 2020.
July 16, 2021 — United States grocery sales rose slightly in June, while overall seafood sales decreased due to comparisons with pandemic buying in 2020.
U.S. fresh, frozen, and ambient seafood sales reached USD 585 million (EUR 496 million) in June 2021, according to IRI and 210 Analytics. While that was a 5.3 percent drop from 2020, seafood sales surged nearly 44 percent this June compared to 2019.
April 13, 2021 — The unprecedented disruption of seafood sales caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago is catching up to year-on-year sales figures.
While fresh seafood sales soared in March thanks to the early Easter holiday, frozen and shelf-stable sales dropped, compared to the huge pandemic stock-up buying spike of 2020, according to data provided to SeafoodSource.
January 20, 2021 — Retail sales were higher than expected during the 2020 holiday season – and sales of seafood shone as a particularly bright spot.
Frozen seafood was “one of the strongest performers” in the overall supermarket frozen food department, growing 23 percent in December versus a year ago, 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink told SeafoodSource.
December 17, 2020 — Grocery store sales rose 1.6 percent in November, with total sales getting a boost from more Americans eating at home due to COVID-19 shutdowns.
Sales at grocery stores specifically jumped 1.9 percent to USD 63.5 billion (EUR 52 billion). And, compared to November 2019, grocery sales soared 10.9 percent at food and beverage stores. However, overall retail sales dropped 0.8 percent in November, though sales at food and beverage stores reached USD 71.4 billion (EUR 58 million), according to advance estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
November 30, 2020 — U.S. consumers spent a record USD 9 billion (EUR 7.5 billion) online for Black Friday this year, pushed higher by grocery e-commerce sales.
Many grocers encouraged shoppers to order online for the Thanksgiving holiday week to manage the high influx of shoppers stores typically see during the holiday, according to 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink.