Romir and Fix Price: more than half of Russians will increase fruit and vegetable planting

23% of Russians are gardening because they want to consume organic products. Nine out of ten dacha residents grow cucumbers, strawberries, and herbs.

Romir and Fix Price conducted a joint survey among dacha residents* living in cities in different regions of Russia about their plans for the current season. More than half of the respondents (54%) stated that they plan to plant more vegetables, fruits and herbs this year than the year before. The main reason was economic: 83% of them said that they wanted to save money on food purchases in this way. More often than any other answer was given by Russians aged 35 to 44 years. At the same time, 42% of respondents believe that their own harvest helps reduce spending on food.

As for the reasons for gardening in general, 31% of respondents planted as "an activity for the soul, which helps to save money," for 23% it is important to be able to eat healthy, 15% view gardening solely as a hobby, 15% - as a tradition, and for 14% of respondents working in the garden is a forced measure.

Keeping a vegetable garden has become more expensive

According to the study, in 2022 the average bill for one purchase in the "garden and garden" category is 203 rubles, which is 17% higher than last year (173.5 rubles). In total, seasonal spending for the whole period on gardening averages 947 rubles, which is 10% more than in 2021.

"Starting in March, Fix Price offers a wide range of goods for the garden. The peculiarity of this season is the increased interest of buyers in the basic commodity items: soil, seeds, fertilizers, containers for seedlings, as well as a slightly lower demand for decorative goods and accessories compared to previous years. We attribute this trend, on the one hand, to the buyers' desire to save money and give up not the most necessary items, and on the other hand, to the effect of the high base of the previous "covid" years, when many spent vacations and worked from out-of-town locations," - commented Inna Kondratieva, director of category management at Fix Price.

The majority of respondents grow vegetables and fruits mainly for their own consumption: 9 out of 10 respondents said so. At the same time, 9% of respondents are engaged in partial sales of crops, and more than the average for Russia is in the Southern Federal District (16%).

Cucumbers and tomatoes are the hit of the season

Russians most often grow vegetables (95% of respondents), herbs (85%), and berries (79%). The most popular vegetables are cucumbers (91% of dacha residents plant them), tomatoes (89%), carrots (83%), zucchini, and beets (79% and 73%, respectively). Herbs most commonly planted are dill (98% of respondents choose it), onion (94%), and parsley (89%). Among the berries Russians give the greatest preference to strawberries (90% of cases), currants (87%), raspberries (86%), gooseberries and cherries (71% and 69%, respectively). The most popular fruits are apples (95% of respondents), plums (69%), and pears (65%).

Climatic features of the regions have their influence: the largest share of planted fruits is in the Southern Federal District (74%), and the smallest (only 37%) in the Northwestern Federal District.

Responding to the question about where people most often shop in the "garden" categories, the greatest number of respondents named specialized garden stores (63%) and markets (41%). Among chain stores, respondents most frequently mentioned Fix Price (28%), Lenta (28%), Svetofor (24%), Pyaterochka (22%), Auchan (20%), and other large chain stores.

*According to the survey, 65% of Russians have a dacha, garden or garden plot.

About the research

The survey was conducted from April 14 to 19, 2022 on the basis of the Romir Data Panel with only verified respondents. The sample was 1,000 people and is representative of the population of Russian cities with a population of more than 10 thousand people.

About Fix Price

Fix Price (LSE and MOEX: FIXP) is one of the leading international markets and Russia's largest chain of low-fixed-price stores. Since its founding in 2007, Fix Price has been helping shoppers save every day when buying everyday goods. Fix Price offers unique products and constantly rotates the assortment, including non-food items, drogeries, as well as food products at low fixed prices.

On March 31, 2022 the Fix Price store chain has 5,083 stores in Russia and CIS countries, each of which has about 2,000 items in about 20 product categories. In addition to its own brands, Fix Price sells products of local producers and leading global brands. The company operates a network of 8 distribution centers and works in 80 regions of Russia, and in 6 foreign countries.

In 2021, the company's revenue was 230.5 billion rubles, EBITDA - 44.2 billion rubles, and net profit - 21.4 billion rubles (in accordance with IFRS).

Contacts Fix Price

Ekaterina Goncharova

elukina@fix-price.ru

+7 967 009 32 70

Yulia Gavrilova

y.gavrilova@promoage.ru

+7 909 217 59 50

Romir Press office

Тел.: +7 (926) 519-66-13

pressa@romir.ru

Romir has specialized in marketing, media and socio-economic research since 1987. It is part of M-Holding.

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