News on Potatoes in Retail from United Kingdom

“Harnessing the power of leading bloggers and vloggers, as well as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels will enable us [AHDB Potatoes] to reach more consumers and engage with them on a more regular and impactful basis. As research shows, this is clearly the way forward.”

Branston (Potatoes) Ltd, based near Lincoln in the United Kingdom, has submitted a planning application with North Kesteven District Council for an expansion which would create 19 new jobs.

The entire potato industry of Great Britain gathered at Harrogate International Centre, North Yorkshire 12 and 13 November for BP2015, the key industry event of the year.

With a major new campaign to promote fresh potatoes across Britain and Ireland about to break, AHDB Potatoes and Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board) are calling on industry to get behind it and help change the way consumers think about potatoes.

Experts fear that in Scotland the combination of scaled back potato planting and a drop in yield due to wet weather could lead to a shortage of potatoes.

Northern Ireland Potato Packer Glens of Antrim Potatoes has expanded with a second factory and new packaging machinery in a £1.25 million investment with potential to create five more jobs.

In the latest Consumer Category Report of the Potato Council, one of the topics addressed is the online sales of fresh potatoes - including actual growth, comparison to competitive products and grocery in general as well as future opportunities

The company which owns the Albert Bartlett potato brand has increased its profits by more than 31 per cent in spite of small fall in turnover. The company shows remarkable growth in international sales and 40% growth in its Scotty Brand business.

Greenvale, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of fresh potatoes, offers a festive Christmas version of its 2kg bags of GreenVale All Rounder Potatoes.

The dates have been set for the famous UK Potato Week 2014; running from 6-12 October the campaign will celebrate the humble potato and encourage mums to ‘trade-up’ from generic whites to named varieties.

Tesco Northern Ireland’s commercial manager Cliff Kells has confirmed that sales of ‘Comber’ potatoes more than doubled, year-on-year, in local Tesco outlets during the months of July and August.

Administrators at O'Hara & Co have managed to tie up a pre-pack deal for Holme Farm Produce safeguarding jobs and the future of the business.

Potato Council’s One Voice campaign is fast gaining momentum, with people from all sectors of industry getting involved and doing whatever they can to help spread positive messages about potatoes.

In the United Kingdom the value of fresh potato category is growing with a 3.8% rise over the last year, while the volume of fresh potatoes sold has dropped by 8.0%. The Potato Council is figuring out what can be done about it.

Summer is the perfect season for a laidback lunch in the sun and what could be a better accompaniment for a BBQ or al fresco dining than a bowl of tasty, fresh new potatoes. This summer treat yourself to the freshest and best with Freshly harvested Ayrshire and East Lothian Potatoes available from Tesco stores in Scotland.

Leading UK potato supplier, Greenvale is strengthening its marketing team with the appointment of two new members of staff, Tracey Mattock who takes on the role of Marketing Manager, and Kate Wright who is the new Category Insight Manager.

This week saw the Potato Council division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of its Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR) facility, near Spalding in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

Potato Council acts as a knowledge house for Government raising the importance of the potato. Two years since this work programme started there has been a real increase in knowledge about potatoes amongst parliamentarians with 83% now regarding potatoes as an important crop.