Retail interest in mayonnaise packaged in glass bottles is decreasing, according to research from ACNielsen Russia, writes Angela Drujinina .
The agency analysed demand for mayo in different forms packaging from October 2002 to September 2003, and October 2003 to September 2004 in Russian cities with populations of more than 10,000 inhabitants.
The analysis showed that one of the main trends within the mayonnaise market in recent months has been a stable increase of demand for products in plastic packaging. This segment increased by 20.3 per cent on physical volumes from October 2003 to September 2004.
However, the most significant increase - 60 per cent - was found in the big pack category, which includes pack sizes of more than 300g.
At the same time, traditional Russian packaging - glass bottles - is losing popularity. The physical volumes of glass bottled mayonnaise decreased by 14 per cent.
According to Dmitriy Haritonov, a director of a major player on the mayonnaise market, Kazanskiy Jirovoi Kombinat, mayonnaise consumption in Russia is estimated to be at present between 490 and 530 thousand tons a year.
Haritonov's company has plans to acquire 10 per cent of this market.