Retail meat department dollar sales increased by nearly 21% the week of May 24 versus this time a year ago. Those pre-Memorial Day numbers suggest consumer demand continues strong despite an economy damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Meat and poultry dominate retail promotions ahead of Memorial Day, says Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics.
“This year, however, tight supply along with price inflation and continued social distancing measures created a very different marketplace and demand,” Roerink told AgWeb. “Purchase limits remained in place for many popular cuts, all the while more states allowed restaurants to re-open dine-in facilities, altering the demand landscape yet again. Despite the supply pressure, dollar sales grew 20.7% the week of May 24 versus year ago and volume grew 5.1%. The volume/dollar gap widened to 15.6 percentage points.”