Warning for Farm Shops
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02 February 2012
At the FARMA conference in Edinburgh this week, delegates were warned that major retailers are looking to cash in on the unique selling points of Farm shops.
The Scotsman newspaper reports that, whilst the sector, which stands at 200 businesses, is growing, there is no room for complacency.
Retail marketing expert, John Stanley, claimed that one major retailer was already structuring part of their sales area into a replica of a farmers' market.
However, Gareth Jones of Lloyds Europa, which has carried out a number of surveys of farm shops and shoppers, stated that the "local" food aspect of farm shops was one the majors could not replicate.
However, real challenges remained as a result of the economic recession, with shoppers hunting for bargains.
