Poor weather holding back meat sales in Estonia
As usual, the purchase of grill-ready meat picks up ahead of the Midsummer holiday, and this year is no exception. However, retail chains are forecasting somewhat more modest sales this time around — mainly due to poor weather, rather than price increases.
Preparations for Estonia's Midsummer celebrations are in full swing. Store shelves are packed with grill-ready products, colorful price tags abound — but ultimately, it's flavor that sways shoppers most.
"I've learned to look past flashy signs and focus on the price per kilo. Not every bright label is a good deal," said shopper Melita. "But taste matters most. You make compromises, of course — but for Midsummer, you can afford to splurge a little."
While meat sales have picked up in the last couple of weeks of June, grill product sales in May were 10–15 percent lower than the same time last year. The main reason? Weather.
"Even during regular weeks, we see a clear pattern: if the weather's poor, sales drop. If the sun's out, sales pick up — not just for grill items, but drinks too," said, Kaimo Niitaru, head of assortment and procurement for the Prisma chain of supermarkets. "The current forecast isn't ideal, but no heavy rain is expected. Estonians are a grilling nation — they'll make it to the store either way."
"The weather's surprisingly critical. This spring was chilly and May was rainy, which hit sales of drinks and ice cream," said Rimi Purchasing Manager Marilin Jürisson.
Still, some meat products on store shelves have maintained the same price for five years. On average, pork and poultry products rose in price by about 5 percent in May.
"There are individual products that are up by 10–15 percent, but major high-volume items have seen a price increase of around 5 percent — consumers can still absorb that," said Selver's Business Accounting Manager Kristjan Anderson. "Beef, however, is a different story."
"Beef availability is a real challenge right now, and prices are high," added Jürisson. "There's less concern about pork. The most popular item for Midsummer is pork neck chops, priced at €4.99 per kilo — that's undeniably a great deal."
Producers haven't rolled out many new products this year, and customers continue to gravitate toward chicken and familiar flavors.
"Anything with 'shashlik' in the name sells, and even in the grill sausage category, shashlik-flavored sausages are doing well," said Anderson.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Mari Peegel
