A summer drive to promote PGI Welsh Lamb directly to consumers at large stores across England and Wales has led to a jump in sales.
During August, September and October Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) set up a mobile cooking theatre to offer samples of Welsh Lamb to shoppers, as well as distributing recipe ideas and speaking to consumers.
The tour included supermarkets and wholesale outlets as far afield as Bristol, London, Chester and Cardiff.
One store reported an overall rise of 25% in Welsh Lamb sales during the day when HCC was present, while another noted a 42% increase in sales of lamb shanks and a 66% boost in sales of fillets.
The cookery theatre roadshow is part of HCC’s integrated drive to promote Welsh Lamb in the UK market, which also included promotional events at Countryfile Live and London’s Borough Market, and a digital marketing campaign aimed at key demographics.
“The presence of our Welsh Lamb cookery theatre at large stores is obviously part of a broader marketing strategy, including highly targeted year-round digital advertising, a presence at major events, brand partnerships, and public relations work,” said HCC’s UK market development executive Emily Davies.
It’s good to see such a direct sales boost in the wake of our direct interaction with consumers. Clearly, when people get the chance to sample the product, they like what they see.
“We very much enjoyed interacting with shoppers and explaining the story behind Welsh Lamb – its traceability back to the farm, and the tradition and sustainable farming methods that contribute to the outstanding taste.”
She added: “It was also great to see a number of local politicians coming along to support the drive to promote our local Welsh Lamb industry.”
HCC offers the cookery theatre and in-store sampling to all retailers and wholesale outlets who stock PGI Welsh Lamb.
