15/09/2010
New research has discovered that half of shoppers across four European countries will be buying more food and grocery products with ethical credentials in the future, reports Talking Retail.
The report from international food and grocery analyst IDG asked shoppers from Britain, France, Germany and Spain about what they expected to buy more of in the future. A third said they would buy more local food, a quarter said more fairtrade or animal-friendly and a fifth said organic.
British retailers would be interested to know that with home grown shoppers, 38% of people said they expected to buy more local and regional food. A further 31% expect to buy more fairtrade goods and 28% would buy products with high animal welfare standards.
This is interesting news for retailers, who should be considering expanding the products they sell in order to get a slice of the growing market. Invoice factoring is one method businesses can use to boost their cash flow, which will allow them to buy stock that's ethical and animal friendly.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive from IDG, said: "The good news is that shoppers expect to buy more across all categories of ethical food and drink products in the future. For grocery businesses across Europe this presents a big challenge and a huge opportunity. The industry is continuing to invest in both ethical products and sustainable ways of working. This shopper research suggests their efforts will not go unrewarded."
Laura Nineham