Why don’t kiwi fruit sell?

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 11

Why don’t kiwi fruit sell?

By

JOHN HUTCHISON London

Why don’t ’viwi fruit sell well in Britain, the first European country in ■which they were marketed?

A London public relations firm, engaged by the Kiwi Export Promotion Committee, will try to answer that question at the end of this year with the aid of a survey of consumers and the fruit trade here. The British market for kiwi fruit has never taken off. It does better, for reasons not well understood, in Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and Belgium, although Britain consumes large quantities of imported produce, some of it quite exotic and brought from distant lands. A New Zealand official in London believes that kiwi fruit, vigorously promoted and effectively distributed, could in 10 years become as important as the New Zealand export trade in apples, pears and seeds.

The survey task has just been undertaken by Leedex, a London agency with an agricultural division specialising in the promotion of farm produce, including Guernsey tomatoes, Cyprus fruit, and British mushrooms. Chairman and managing director is Mr John Morrish. “Our first task is to find out why kiwi fruit are still widely unknown in Britain,” he said. His company has just completed two exercises in consumer attitudes at Selfridge’s, the big London department store, and at Bentalls, a large department store in suburban Richmond.

Passing customers were offered slices of the fruit and asked for their reactions. Two young New Zealand women assisted in the nine-day project — Miss Riwia Taylor and Miss Joyce Hampton. Miss Taylor is the daughter of

Mr and Mrs Mel Taylor; her father is an officer with the New Zealand High Commission in London. Miss Hampton, on an extended holiday abroad, is the daughter of Mrs J. D. Hampton of Southbridge in Canterbury. Customers are asked: “Have you tasted kiwi fruit before?” Most of them haven’t. “How do you like it?” Most of them say it’s good. The proof: Whereas Selfridge’s had been selling a tray and a half of kiwi fruit per week before, the girls sold 72 trays in the week they were there, at 35 cents per single fruit Birmingham and Newcastle are being considered for additional consumer surveys, and Leedex will hold tastings for several groups of distributors and retail dealers. The firm will also carry on a modest press campaign among cookery and food writers — modest because the budget for the entire project is about $lO,OOO, regarded here as a very low figure

for a promotion effort of this kind. the New Zealand official pointed out that the British are often receptive to new produce imports. The New Zealand official pointed out that the British are often receptive to new produce imports. "Ten years ago,” he said, “the avocado was virtually unknown here. Today, through good promotion and well organised distribution, it is well established and growing in popularity. There is no apparent reason why kiwi fruit cannot succeed as