Pilot Butchers’ Shops In Britain Suggested

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29871, 11 July 1962, Page 12

Pilot Butchers’ Shops In Britain Suggested

The opening of a few retail butchers' shops in Britain by the Meat Board, as a promotional activity to check the reaction of consumers to retail prices, was suggested by Professor B. P, Philpott, professor of agricultural economics at Lincoln College, when he spoke to farmers attending a winter farm course in Ashburton yesterday. Professor Philpott said there was disturbing evidence that British retail prices for lamb were much “stickier” than wholesale prices Though this evidence was rather fragmentary, a food survey made by the British Ministry of Agriculture had shown that, while the wholesale price of lamb had fallen from 25d to 21d per lb in 1958-59. the retail price in the same time had only declined from 40d to 39d.

If we could get butchers

to reduce retail prices more in line with wholesale prices, it might result in absorbing these cheaper lambs and we might perhaps be able to punch a lot more lambs into consumption in Britain, as suggested at the Lincoln farmers' conference by Mr L. A. Cameron, the general manager of the Gear Meat Company.” he said.

Professor Philpott suggested that through studies in pilot shops established in Britain, the Meat . Board might be able to indicate to retailers that price changes would perhaps return them higher profits, and that they would, at the same time, be doing New Zealand and themselves a good turn.

At present, he said, it was suggested that British butchers liked to keep prices stable because they thought the consumer distrusted change.

Professor Philpott said that at the farmers’ conference Mr Cameron had suggested New Zealand could sell another 10 million lambs in Britain at a return of 20d to the farmer.