Woolworths stocks up big-time for Xmas

Woolworths has done its homework and expects to satisfy every Australian’s gastronomic desires this Christmas.

Additional staff will be on duty in the stores to assist customers and the store has ordered the additional stocks it expects to sell while dropping prices.

Tradition trumps climate – hams, pork and turkey

Needless to say, traditional northern-hemisphere mid-winter Christmas fare is as popular as ever notwithstanding the warm summer weather in the southern hemisphere.

Although still more than a week out from the big day, Woolworths has already experienced a significant increase in sales of hams and mince pies.

Woolworths expects to sell 4.5million kilograms of ham, proving that hams and roast pork are still the most popular fare on Christmas Day.

Based on 2015 when half of all pork sales were roasting joints, the store is expecting to sell 500,000 smoked half leg hams, including the new double smoked and gold triple smoked leg hams which are perfect for glazing.

Turkey remains a popular choice – the store expects a 5 per cent increase over 2015 in sales with more than 80,000 kilograms of turkey selling in the week leading to Christmas.

Turducken, a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck further stuffed into a deboned turkey is almost as popular as turkey, with sold weight expected to exceed 60,000 kilograms.

Seafood

The Australian love of fresh seafood finds full expression at Christmas.

Woolworths expects to sell 100 tonnes of fresh prawns in the week before Christmas with 60 per cent concentrated into the last two trading days.

Oyster consumption is expected to increase ten-fold for the holiday and shuckers will have to open 15 dozen oysters every minute for three days to have ready the 800,000 oysters that Woolworths will sell to customers during the Christmas-New Year period.

Deli

Woolworths is catering for all aspects of the Australian love of meat with new deli products such as pre-cooked hot roast beef and maple cured streaky bacon.

Sales of hot roast chickens are expected to rise by 20 per cent for Christmas, apparently unaffected by the veritable avalanche of hams and turkeys.

Present indications are that cheese will also be a popular choice for the Christmas table. In 2015, Woolworths experienced sales increases of 38 per cent, 30 per cent and 23 per cent respectively of Wild Studd Haloumi, Brie and King Island Camembert.

Fresh Produce

This year Woolworths decided to introduce a program, Reindeer Carrots, to boost the magic of the night before Christmas. The response has been remarkable with approximately 51 per cent of families participating by leaving a carrot out for Santa’s reindeer. The program is expected to drive the sale of an additional 140,000 kilograms of medium sized carrots.

Naturally, the usual cherries and mangoes will be in ready supply – 30 per cent of Woolworths annual cherry sales are expected to be sold at Christmas as well as 2.5million fresh mangoes.

This is quite apart from the seasonal grapes, nectarines, and peaches – the abundance of summer combined with the tradition of Christmas.

Bakery

Mince pie sales are expected to reach 2.2 million packs over Christmas. while pavlova sales, a year-round favourite – 2016 sales are already 230 per cent up on last year – are expected to increase by 500,000 in the next two weeks alone, a 3000 per cent uplift, driven by the introduction of new flavours such as Raspberry and Toasted Coconut or Vanilla Bean.

Desserts have not been neglected with three new flavours of pudding: Gold Cranberry, Pec and Gold Passionfruit, Pineapple and Mango.

 

Related articles:

Woolworths selling ‘Reindeer Carrots’ this Christmas
Aussie Farmers Direct launches its Christmas range
Lenard’s launches new stuffed turkey tastes for Christmas 2016