FOOD RETAIL SALES SISIPA SA GITNA NG PANDEMYA

TATAAS ng 20 porsiyento ang food retail sales ng Filipinas dahil mas maraming consumers ang bumibili ng pagkain at iba pang mga pangangailangan sa supermarkets sa gitna ng coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,  ayon sa pagtaya ng United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Sa kanilang Foreign Agricultural Service report, sinabi ng ahensiya na ang food retail sales ng bansa ay aabot sa $60 billion mula sa $50 billion noong  2019.

“Purchases of food and beverage have been increasing not only in supermarkets, but also on online sites,” paha­yag ng ahensiya.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, consumers have been increasingly cooking food at home, driving a surge in purchases of local and imported food and beverage products from supermarkets and online portals,” nakasaad pa sa report.

Ayon pa sa USDA, tatlong supermarket chains ang nangunguna sa food retail scene – SM Markets, PureGold at Robinsons.

“The pandemic pushed more middle- to upper-income consumers to shift to delivery of grocery items, which led to retailers ramping up efforts to strengthen their digital presence and take advantage of this growing trend,” sabi pa sa report.

Bukod dito, binanggit din ng USDA na 25 hanggang 30 percent ng  shoppers ng key players ang lumipat na sa online platforms.

Samantala, pinipili pa rin ng lower-income consumers ang  mom at pop stores at traditional wet markets.

Iniulat ng USDA na ang food retail sector ay lumago ng 25 percent sa nakalipas na limang taon, kung saan umabot ito sa $50 billion noong nakaraang taon.

“Retailers with strong online presence are expected to perform better this year as consumers shift to e-commerce brought about by the pandemic,” ayon pa sa report.