Food firm sees fastest ever growth
QUORN Foods has today announced that it experienced its fastest ever growth in 2013, attracting more than 10.2m consumers than the previous year.
The Stokesley-based global market leader in meat-alternative foods, reported a 13% growth in total sales last year in its UK business and a 20% increase in like-for-like sales in the final quarter of the year. Quorn also saw double digit growth in Australia and Sweden as the international business progressed.
The company said its performance contrasts starkly with the latest figures showing how the British meat industry continues to face challenges. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has revealed that British red meat (beef and lamb) sales fell in 2013, with 9,327 fewer tonnes of British red meat sold compared with the previous year.
A new poll conducted by YouGov at the end of December 2013 suggests that this shift is a legacy of the horsemeat scandal in January 2013, with 21% of those surveyed saying that they eat less meat now than they did a year ago.
Kevin Brennan, chief executive of Quorn Foods, said: “At a time when most of the food industry is seeing very little growth, we saw our sales soar in 2013, with double-digit growth sustained throughout the year.
“This puts Quorn in a great place for 2014 and I’m confident we will achieve double-digit growth again this year as we continue to invest in improving our current products and developing new ones.
“We are clearly seeing consumers rethink their meat eating. 500 meals a year with meat is too much for our health and the planet.”
Since becoming a private company, Quorn has made a number of strategic investments across the business to drive growth, including £15m in global marketing for 2014.
