Pictured is BWG Foods’ Chief Operations Officer Simon Marriott at the group’s National Distribution Centre in Kilcarbery, taking delivery of the first Irish strawberries of the season to hit supermarket and convenience store shelves as the business announces a projected sales increase of over 20 percent on last year for the queen of the berries. In 2020, BWG Foods sold almost 4 million strawberries. This year, BWG Foods expects to sell up to 4.5 million strawberries through its SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE, Londis and XL retail networks, amounting to 100 tonnes.

Partnering with a number of growers from Meath, Dublin and Wexford, BWG Foods is the first retailer to market with Irish strawberries, four weeks earlier than last year. The business anticipates sales of the iconic home grown fruit to reach record breaking heights this summer due to a particularly strong harvest resulting in higher quality produce with a fresher, more flavoursome taste. Local growers point to weather conditions and scaled up farming as having led to one of the best strawberry yields in some time.

According to BWG Foods, owners and operators of the SPAR, EUROSPAR, Londis, MACE, and XL retail brands with a network of more than 1,000 stores across Ireland, a greater preference for fresh fruit and vegetables among Irish shoppers so far this year will also create greater demand for other seasonal fruit produce such as raspberries and blackberries which are set to outperform 2020 sales this summer.