Lithuanian retailer Maxima has reported a 15% year-on-year growth in the sales of vegetables in 2019, while fruit and berries saw a 33% growth.
The retailer has attributed this growth to a 5% reduction in VAT (value-added tax) for fresh fruit and vegetables, which was introduced in January 2018.
'High-Quality Nutrition'
Commenting on the sales for the first two months of 2020, director of purchasing department at Maxima Latvija, Edvins Lakstigala, said, "We see that our customers are increasingly thinking about healthy, high-quality nutrition.
"The demand for fruit and vegetables, especially at a reduced VAT rate, continues to grow in the first two months of this year, and has increased by 8% compared with the same period last year."
Popular Fruit And Vegetables
In 2019, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage emerged as the most popular local vegetable in its stores, while the five most popular fruit and berries were apples, cranberries, strawberries, pears and raspberries.
Latvian buyers' also indulged in blueberries last year, with sales increasing almost 4.5 times compared with 2018.
In the first two months of 2020, the demand for mangoes doubled, the retailer added.
Local Products
Presently, Maxima offers a wide range of Latvian vegetables, including Getliņi EKO tomatoes and cucumbers.
It also offers potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, radish, beets, bows, micros lettuce sourced from local farms like SIA Baldones lauki, ZS Kaži, ZS Nākotnes, ZS Ceplinieki, and others.
The company plans to add more locally-grown tomatoes, weighed long and short cucumbers, salads and basil in pots in April and May of this year.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
