The last shopping week before Christmas is characterized by few buyers and many sellers.
“Next week is the last week before Christmas. One must have a good plan, since there is a lot that is closed at Christmas. Customers indicate that they are getting offers that are lower than last Friday,” says an exporter to SalmonBusiness.
He gets the support of another, more confident, exporter: “Prices have gone down all week, and it will continue next week.”
“It will probably not be an easy week. I think most people run back-to-back (pre-agreed sales when a buyer – red.anm.), he says, adding: “Folk must reduce slaughter next week, otherwise it will be chaos.” [factbox]
Holidays
The five industry sources SalmonBusiness have talked to after lunch Friday outlines the following farm gate prices for next week:
- NOK 50-52 (€5.1-5.3) 3-4 kilogramss
- NOK 52-54 (€5.3-5.5) 4-5 kilograms
- NOK 53-56 (€5.4-5.7) 5-6 kilograms
“Here is a lot of unsold fish. If you are left with fish that is unsold next week, I think it will be very difficult,” a trader says.
The Christmas market, which consists of fresh products ten days before Christmas Eve, provides limited flexibility. Many holidays mean that one can not risk being seated with stock.
Precautions
“It’s full panic. Here are not buyers,” says a smoker. “There are very few buyers, based on what I understand. We have bought, the little volume we will buy”.
“It seems that Christmas sales …. The buyers have taken their precautions so they do not have their ass naked as they have done in recent years. Plus, the price of finished goods has become so high that sales decline,” he explains.
