Countdown has analysed sales data from last year’s Labour Weekend and determined that not only are Kiwis popping open a bag of chips and making lots of dip, whether the sun is out or not, Labour Weekend is a psychological marker when the slow cookers are relegated to the back of the cupboard and summer fare makes its way back to our tables.
Key insights about Kiwis’ habits over Labour Weekend
(based on sales figures last Labour Weekend 2017):
- Kiwis munched their way through more than 430,000 packs of chips.
- Countdown sold more than 15,000 tins of reduced cream and sales of packet soup were also up significantly, implying that Kiwis were of course mixing together their favourite dip to accompany the chips.
- Countdown sold more than 18,000 kgs of ice last Labour Weekend, which is an increase of nearly 40% on normal weekends
- Countdown sold significantly more packs of sausages and burger patties for the BBQ.
- Sales of lettuce increased with more than 55,000 heads of lettuce sold; and deli salad sales increase by six per cent at Labour Weekend
- Kiwis were enjoying some crackers and cheese as more than 77,000 units of entertaining cheese were sold, 10 per cent more than usual.
- Frozen dessert sales significantly increase over Labour Weekend implying that Kiwis were choosing to entertain more over the long weekend and leading into Christmas.
Whether the weather starts to warm up or is a little slower to arrive, Labour Weekend fundamentally marks the end of winter for Kiwi’s with soup sales dropping by 11 per cent, and cough, cold and flu remedies decreasing by about 16 per cent.
Scott Davidson, Countdown’s General Manager Merchandise, says that Labour Weekend indicates the first of the summer months and is the last long-weekend before the big guy in the red suit appears at Christmas.
“As the nights get longer and warmer, we start to move away from traditional winter fare as such soups, and roasts and Kiwis really like to get outside to roll out the BBQ and entertain family and friends with sausages and salads, chips and dips, crackers and cheese.
“The warmer weather has started earlier this year and we’re on track to have a plentiful supply of the all important summer staples. We already have in store strawberries, and asparagus and our teams are already making room for sweetcorn and Kiwis favourite fruit; nectarines, peaches, and apricots. Cherries will start to appear in store as we move closer to Christmas,” he says.
“We know that this is the time of the year that we are all focusing on getting in shape for the summer holidays. From next week, Countdown has locked down the price of a range of health products to help Kiwis making smoothies for breakfast, using grains and dressing for their salads and picking nuts for an alternative snack during the day.”
