This Access Asia report covers the fresh & canned fruit market in China. The market is barely affected by the development of new retail formats. Fruit & veg sales tend to be dominated by markets where local farmers supply produce direct to the consumer.
The fruit market is the largest sector of the retail food market in China, yet is one of the last to be affected by the development of new retail formats in China. Fruit sales still tend to be dominated by the free wet markets, most of which take place in open-air market places or streets, where local farmers supply produce direct from the field to the end consumer. What is clear is that the wet market system, relying s it does on local producers selling to local consumers, is a very fragmented one. There is little in the way of national- or even regional-level competition in this market, and no real significant market leaders, save a few privately-run wholesale and wet market companies. This market therefore has less to do with market and brand shares, but is more about the rapid growth in consumption of fruits and vegetables by Chinese consumers, since the opening-up of the Chinese economy some 25 years ago. Not only are Chinese consumers now able to buy more fresh fruits, but they have a much better variety to choose from. Improvements in distribution infrastructure is helping to develop more regional trade in fruits, and this is leading to more produce from one region of the country reaching consumers in other parts of the country.