Russian market of marinated preserves keeps growing

The Russian market of marinated fish has been annually growing by 20-30% starting from 2003 and at present it has reached 360,000 metric tons. Herring contributes approximately one half of all marinated fish items. Through the recent 1.5-2 years the share of premium-class marinated fish items has also increased. The demand for marinated preserves comes mostly from Moscow and the surrounding region as well as from other large cities of Russia. The strong demand for marinated fish is attributed to rich product range and wide price range, according to Esmerk referring to Morprodindustria Company.

About 30% of Russian producers of marinated fish contributing 43% of the nation's output are concentrated in the Central Federal District.

Main players on the market are large Russian operator such as Russian Sea Company, Meridian, Delsi-S, Ledovo and Santa-Bremor (Belarus). Marinated preserves made by European producers are less popular due to higher prices. Meanwhile, the recent months have been marked by the growing share of regional players operating in the low-end segment.

More than 70% of marinated fish sales are contributed by super and hypermarkets, however entry to large chains is complicated by entry ticket charges, stringent requirements, etc.