No-meat mood in the frankfurter category

By: Szalai László Date: 2024. 11. 03. 13:33

Although frankfurter retail sales were lower last year than in 2022, the end-of-year season was stronger than the year before.

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/11

Henriett Szabó-Spanyol
senior brand manager
(PICK)
Bonafarm

“In terms of segments, consumer choice shifted towards cheaper, lower quality (meat content) products, but this is more a forced choice owing to the economic difficulties”,

says Henriett Szabó-Spanyol, senior brand manager (PICK) of Bonafarm Zrt.

Private labels continues to dominate, but the popularity of manufacturer brands is growing.

Promotions in a key role

Attila Lippai
commercial director
Master Good

“Changes in consumer behaviour, how demand develops, price and promotional sensitivity, plus the competition between manufacturers and private labels have a big influence on the dynamics of our market”,

says Attila Lippai, commercial director of Master Good Kft.

Promotions, price discounts and loyalty programmes play a key role in this, as consumers have become even more price and promotion sensitive than before.

Wiesbauer-Dunahús sees consumers moving towards a “less but better quality” buying attitude for several years now.

Zsolt Kazai
sales manager
Wiesbauer-Dunahús

“This is a positive trend for us, as Wiesbauer has always been committed to quality. Our average price has increased by 3.5% this year”,

reports Zsolt Kazai, sales manager of Wiesbauer-Dunahús Zrt.

A well-planned concept

These days product concepts and promotions really need to be fine-tuned to be successful. PICK took a big step forward in this area in 2023, with the expansion of the PICK PICKOLINO range: they introduced PICKOLINO Roppanós frankfurters, so that every member of a family can now find their favourite frankfurter in the product range. For more than three years now, customers have been able to buy hot dog in Fresh Corners, made from fresh buns and PICK’s high quality, 94% meat content beechwood-smoked sausages. From this summer anyone can take the Fresh Corner taste experience home and experiment with their own hot dog versions, as these sausages are now available at retail outlets too, in three popular flavours (classic, cheese and Hungarian).

Opportunities in the portfolio

At Master Good they believe that the current market situation offers many opportunities for manufacturers to adapt to consumer needs and launch new products. Strengthening brands, focusing on sustainability and health, and finding innovative development directions are all key to maintaining a successful portfolio, according to Attila Lippai. In recent months the company has been busy updating the image of its B brand, Falni Jó! The company’s strongest brand is Füstli frankfurters, but they also offer Fini Dinó frankfurters to children, and have a premium brand called Royal and Life frankfurters in the portfolio, plus they are also proud of GMO-free Bécsi wieners. It is very important for the core brand MASTER GOOD to clearly and consistently represent the company’s values in all areas – product, packaging, image or communication.

Private labels still dominate, but manufacturer brands are growing in importance

If it is New Year’s Eve, big formats are popular

Last year Wiesbauer-Dunahús increased frankfurter sales by 12% year-on-year. In 2024 they are almost 5% up if compared to 2023, so everything is set for a successful New Year’s Eve season. The company’s year-round success products are the Premium Bécsi wiener 2x200g and the Bécsi long wiener in sheep casing, available from the deli counters. In December they will once again come out with the 800g frankfurter packs that have been so successful in previous years – Sacher frankfurter, Veal frankfurter, Light frankfurter and Bécsi long wiener. //

Discounters sell every second frankfurter

Guest writer:
István Márk Szabó
data analyst
Consumer Panel Services
YouGov

In Hungary frankfurter isn’t just a food but also part of the culinary culture. Most of it is bought in December, twice as much as in other months. Processed meat sales increased by 5.3% from MAT Aug 2023 to MAT Aug 2024. The increase in sales was primarily caused by price hikes (+4.7%), as the frequency of purchases (+0.7%) and the volume sold (+0.5%) remained substantially unchanged. Frankfurters account for one seventh of sales in the processed meat category (in value).

Frankfurter sales grew by 2.9% in value in MAT Aug 2024, driven not by price rises (+0.8%) but by an increase in purchase frequency (+2.3%), which led to a 2.1% surge in volume sales. Discounters realised half of frankfurter volume sales, supermarkets had a 15.9% volume share and hypermarkets were at 14.4%.

Pre-packed products make up the vast majority of the category, with deli counters being responsible for selling just one-sixth of the volume sold in the 12 months from September to August. As for meat types, more than half of frankfurters are made from pork, a third from some kind of mixed meat, the remainder from turkey and a very small proportion from chicken. //