Demand has shifted towards poultry wieners

Wiener remains an important element on the New Year’s Eve table. Boglárka Grabant, marketing manager of Sága Foods told our magazine that in December 2010 wiener sales soared by 53 percent: deli counter sales expanded by 98 percent and self-service counter sales grew by 38-percent from the previous month. She added that last year the market turned towards 1kg packaging and wieners in sheep casing.

Zoltán Szántó, product manager with Pick-Szeged Zrt. warns about the dangers of overpromotion: – Price promotions have become more frequent – together with end-of-the-shelf placements and other promotion types – and shoppers have become more receptive to these. 2+1 and 1+1 packagings were able to activate great purchasing power – but the effect of these promotions could be harmful to the brand in the long run. As for price per kg, it is impossible to produce proper wieners in the HUF 299-399 price range. When it comes to meat products, our Codex Alimentarius contains stricter rules than other EU countries’. This creates a competitive disadvantage for domestic manufacturers vis a vis import. Krisztina Bódi, Kométa 99 Zrt.’s marketing director is of the opinion this should be a good reason to buy Hungarian. She also thinks that consumers need to be educated about the EU seal indicating the origin of meat and dairy products. Dr Éva Pénzes, marketing executive of Debreceni Csoport Húsipari Kft. told Trade magazin that retail chains realised how wide the target group of wiener is and appeared on the market with many PL products. She still thinks that branded products are significant in this segment, especially when it comes to buying wiener in self-service packaging. In the wiener category self-service packaging dominates over deli counter wieners as three quarters of wieners sold belong to the previous group. As for ingredients, the market recently shifted towards poultry wieners, primarily to the detriment of pork wieners. Volume sales indicate a 61-percent share for poultry wieners and 39 percent for pork wieners; in value sales poultry wieners are less dominant because of their lower price. The expansion of private label products stopped but growth was more significant among cheaper branded products. From November Pick-Szeged Zrt.’s PICK Békebeli cracking wiener in sheep casing is available in the deli counter, while PICK wiener in artificial casing appear in a 250g self-service version. In 2010 the company introduced the Família brand, under which they sell poultry wieners in the lower price category. Volume sales of the 280g product tripled in just one year. Sága keeps monitoring consumer trends and recently they came out with the cheese version of Falni Jó! turkey wiener. In December they will focus on their market leading Füstli brand, supporting it with price and other promotions customised to retail chains’ and shops’ needs; their POS tools are also chain-specific. This year they will also launch a new wiener product, especially for children. Tímea Győri, marketing executive with Pápai Hús 1913 Kft. opines that besides the importance of a good price/value ratio, shoppers are starting to realise that Hungarian products are of better quality than foreign wieners. Her view is that weaker brands are definitely the losers of the category. This year, as usual, the company expects its high quality wieners in sheep casing to generate the bulk of sales. Sales of Kométa’s top quality Bécsi wieners are increasing from year to year. Kométa sells wieners in 300g and 1kg versions, in protective gas packaging. They will not come out with new products at the end of the year, Bécsi wiener, its Cheese version and pork wiener in artificial casing will be waiting for shoppers in stores. Kaiser Food Élelmiszer-ipari Kft. joined the Debreceni Group last year. This autumn they put Kaiser Bécsi Wiener on the market in bacon, cheese and bell pepper version; its plain version is free of ‘E’ numbers. They are sold in modern, divided self-service packaging so the 400g package does not have to be consumed in one go. Péter Gnám, key account manager with Landhof Hungária Kft. told that chilli or curry flavoured products can be found in their assortment, together with premium products with 80-90 percent meat content or allergen-free wieners. They are launching Sacher wiener this year. Their products’ average price will be HUF 1,500-2,500. Wiesbauer-Dunahús Kft. is the specialist of premium wieners and managing director Jens Hillebrand told us that they were able to increase sales despite the economic recession because more and more people are looking for quality, healthier products. The company appeared with a new product on the market: Wiener Würstel in practical 2x200g divided packaging.