Retailers on the hunt for some egg-cellent sales

WITH ONLY A WEEK until Easter, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) believe the Easter Bunny won’t be the only one preparing his Easter basket, with retailers across the country stocking their shelves with all sorts of Easter treats.

Russell Zimmerman, Executive Director of the ARA, said although many retailers release their Easter products just after the new year, the bulk of Easter sales do not occur until the week before Good Friday.

“As this Easter is earlier than last year, Australians will be heading in-store sooner rather than later to buy their seafood as the Sydney Fish Market is expecting to trade more than 650 tonnes of seafood before the big day,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“Fresh food markets and supermarkets aren’t the only ones who will receive crowds of shoppers over the next week as many chocolatiers and bakeries will be also making delicious treats to add to the Easter table.”

Steve Plarre, CEO of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, said over 55 percent of last year’s hot cross bun sales came from new flavours and is expecting these sales to grow even higher this year.

“As Easter will arrive two weeks earlier than last year, I believe there will be a slight headwind for sales this year, but these purchases will be outweighed by the solid growth from exciting new hot cross bun flavours”.

With Australians loving their hot cross buns for the past 35 years, Elise Gillespie, joint CEO of Bakers Delight, predicts more than 20 million hot cross buns to be pulled from their ovens this year.

“Easter is one of the highlights of our year, and we are proud that we have been able to play a role in helping Australian families create their own Easter traditions for nearly four decades,” Ms Gillespie said.

As a big chocolate fan, Mr Zimmerman said he will be sure to purchase an Easter Bilby this year to honor the first Haigh’s Chocolate Easter Bilby 25 years ago and support the important work they do to save the Bilby.

“It’s great to see retailers taking initiatives in their corporate social responsibility and listening to consumer concerns, not only generating repeat customers but also increasing consumer loyalty – a crucial element in today’s uncertain trading environment,” Mr Zimmerman said.

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s largest retail association, representing the country’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. As Australia’s leading retail peak body industry, the ARA is a strong pro-active advocate for Australian retail and works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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