Easter Date Change Affects Bakery, Meat, and Produce Sales

Easter Date Change Sales: How the Shift Impacted Bakery, Meat, and Produce

The Easter Date Change Sales had a significant effect on grocery sales in March this year. With Easter arriving later, sales across several categories, including bakery, meat, and produce, experienced notable shifts. Ongoing inflation and economic concerns also played a role in affecting shoppers’ purchasing habits.

Bakery Sales Take a Hit

The shift in Easter timing had a notable impact on bakery sales, particularly in March. Easter Date Change Sales resulted in a 3.8% decline in bakery sales, both in dollars and units. Key subcategories such as cakes, cookies, and pastries saw steep drops. Cakes, for example, dropped by 6.6%, while cookies and pastries experienced declines of 3.4% and 4.8%, respectively. Despite this, consumers still spent on treats, with donuts and croissants performing well, with sales up by 8.3% and 11%, respectively.

Meat Sales Struggled Due to Easter Shift

The shift also took a toll on meat sales, especially smoked ham, which is a staple for Easter meals. Sales of smoked ham fell drastically by 70% in dollars and 81.8% in units. Overall, meat sales saw a decline of 4.3% in pounds sold, although inflation helped push dollar sales up by 2.2%. Processed meats, including smoked ham, experienced a decline of 9.4% in dollar sales. Despite this, fresh meat like beef and chicken saw growth, with beef up by 10.8% and chicken by 6.9% in dollar sales.

Fresh Produce Sees Mixed Results

The Easter Date Change Sales also influenced fresh produce categories. While fruit sales grew, vegetables were hit harder by the later Easter date. Fresh fruits, such as grapes and oranges, saw positive gains. Grapes, for example, saw a 23.7% increase in pound sales, while oranges saw double-digit increases in both dollars and pounds. On the other hand, vegetable sales dropped 4.6% in dollars and 4.3% in pounds.

Other Affected Categories

Frozen foods followed a similar pattern, with frozen fruits performing well and frozen vegetables struggling. Frozen fruit sales were up 8.2% in dollars, while frozen vegetable sales fell by 1.1%. Seafood, however, was a bright spot for March, with both fresh and frozen seafood seeing dollar and pound sales increases. Plant-based meat alternatives continued to struggle, with sales down by 7.7% in dollars and 9.8% in units.

Conclusion

The Easter Date Change Sales caused considerable fluctuations in various grocery categories, especially in bakery, meat, and produce. While some areas like fruits and seafood saw growth, others faced challenges due to the shift.

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