Interview with the Commercial Director of the trade mark "Spelo-Zrelo"

TM "Spelo- Zrelo " is a brand that has become popular with many Russians and is time-tested. More information about the main trends of the vegetable and fruit conservation market, also the company's strategic development plans, will be told to us by Evgeny Burlev, Commercial Director of TM "Spelo-Zrelo".

 - Eugene, please tells me, what major trends would you mark in the market of canned vegetables in 2017?

In my opinion, the conservation market at the moment has a positive dynamics in development. This is also indicated by statistical data. And if we do not take into account the crisis year of 2015, when the sales volume decreased quite enough (by about 5-6%), then for the period 2012-2016 sales of canned vegetables increased by 5.4%, and in 2016 amounted to 1.34 million tons.

 - Do you agree with the statement that the segment of vegetable conservation least affected by the crisis? And with what it is connected? What commodity category of the market, in your opinion, now has the greatest growth potential and why?

Yes, during the crisis, this segment actually looked relatively stable, primarily thanks to the introduction of the food embargo and devaluation of the ruble introduced in 2014, as a result of which many Russian producers won.

-How can you characterize the competitive environment in the market of fruit and vegetable conservation? In which segment is the most competitive?

At the moment, the competition, I would say, is tough, in all segments, regardless of the range or pricing policy. In connection with the crisis, the buyer is not in a hurry to part with his money, so he chooses the best quality and the best price not only in the high price segment, but also in the mid-price, and even low-price.

- Does the pressure the habit of Russians make the domestic preparations on the market and the activities of its players? How do you estimate the share of domestic procurement in the total consumption of conservation and has it declined in recent years and by how much% or in connection with the crisis it has grown on the contrary?

Fruit and vegetable conservation has always had fluctuations in seasonality. It's no secret that the greatest demand for canned food is observed in winter and reaches its apogee in the New Year and Christmas holidays, because the summer is a season of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as domestic harvesting.

However, the share of domestic harvesting does indeed tend to decrease, especially in large cities of Russia. We have repeatedly said that the rhythm of life in large cities is very different, the lack of free time affects the way of life, and the purchasing power is many times greater than in regions.

- Eugene, do you think there have been changes in customer behavior in recent years?

Of course, the behavior of buyers has changed significantly. Now the buyer prefers to make purchases in supermarkets and hypermarkets. The share of retail chains in the structure of the retail market has grown significantly and is gaining momentum every day. Only in supermarkets the consumer has the opportunity to purchase goods on shares or so-called "yellow price tags". This strategy of the buyer's behavior is conditioned by the crisis and concentration on the economy. Yes, this is a good way to stimulate your sales, but there is a downside to this mechanism.

The buyer is so used to constant discounts and promotions that this mechanism soon turned into a new kind of "low price", which is very difficult for many manufacturers to get out of this competitive struggle, but it's very easy to lose loyalty.

- What type of fruit and vegetable conservation is currently being promoted in the company and why? What priorities were chosen in the company for the 2018 year?

The segment of beans, corn and peas were and are most in demand among consumers. Therefore, the leaders in sales and the largest share among the range of TM "SPELO-ZRELO " are canned peas, sweet corn and beans.

As for priorities, this year the main task for us is the maximum presence in all trade networks of the country and near abroad. But we will not disclose all the secrets now, only we promise that this year will be very fruitful and effective.