Visit our ‘Market & Value Info’ webpage for more updated market data.
With several months of data now available, it’s a good time to check in on wholesale market conditions pertaining to the 2019 harvest. In general, the pace of wholesale sales appears to be lagging last year slightly and frozen H&G sockeye prices are down. U.S. export volume of frozen H&G sockeye fell 5% during the July-November 2019 period, compared to the previous year. Export value declined by 15% and the average export price was down 9%. Wholesale prices for the 2019 sales season are generally lower than 2018, but above those seen in 2017.
Multiple sources report that 4-6lb. and 6-9lb. sizes of frozen H&G sockeye are moving well, but a sizeable quantity of smaller 2-4lb. fish remains. We’ll have to wait until late February when the State of Alaska posts total wholesale sales data to have a better understanding of frozen fillet sales and a more complete picture for other products, including frozen H&G sockeye. Farmed salmon prices lagged the previous year from July-November 2019 but have increased significantly since then and are now running higher than the previous year.
BBRSDA’s marketing team has been working hard to step up promotions and build greater, more durable demand. We coordinated Bristol Bay sockeye promotions with 14 major retail partners at nearly 1,000 stores across the country in 2019. Last year's participating retailers included Costco, Earth Fare, H-E-B, Harris Teeter, Market Basket, New Seasons Market, QFC, Raley’s, Rouses, Rosauers, and Wegmans. An average sales volume increase of 34% was reported from participating retailers across market demographics in 2019. We started 2020 at full throttle too, with promotions scheduled at four different retail chains this month. The response from retailers, qualitatively and quantitatively, has been excellent.
“Our experience with Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon promotions have been overwhelmingly positive, and we have gotten tremendous response from our customers,” said Paul McLean, Earth Fare’s Senior Director of Fresh, Meat, and Seafood. “We more than doubled our sockeye sales compared to the previous sales periods, and we are eager to provide our shoppers with this quality product in the new year.”
BBRSDA promotional efforts include funding sales contests, branded point-of-sale assets, targeted digital advertising, in-store cooking demonstrations, and more, allowing retailers an à la carte style menu of options to tailor efforts to their unique market’s customers. High quality imagery, video, and point-of-sale materials bolster all promotional activities and make Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon stand out in stores and at seafood counters. For an example of our work, check out this great video we made in Bristol Bay last summer with Raley’s, a California-based retailer.
It's important to note that while executing retail promotions certainly moves more volume through the supply chain, the primary goal of BBRSDA’s marketing program is to build lasting demand and create new customers for Bristol Bay sockeye. Building a recognizable, premium brand is a long-term effort that might not solve all short-term market fluctuations, but we believe the program is providing and will continue to provide our members a healthy return on their investment in BBRSDA.
