The pandemic has influenced some sectors in positive and unexpected ways. Of course, if you look at the consumption habits that have changed due to confinement, it is no surprise then what has resulted.
The canning sector increased its production by 2% in 2020 and increased its sales by 5%. But, according to the president of Anfaco and the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Galicia, José Manuel Vieites, the behavior has been different in companies. Those positioned in the retail sector have shown greater resilience to the health crisis in contrast to the crisis that companies in the horeca channel have suffered as a result.
The pandemic has, on the one hand, accelerated and increased the demand for products in supermarkets, but has decreased the demand from the hotel and catering industry, which has resulted in additional expenditure to cope with this loss and also to adapt to the health crisis. Precisely the tuna has had an increase in production of 2.1%, along with sardines (2.1%) and mussels (4.9%), which were the products that grew the most last year, said Anfaco.
Jealsa and Frinsa are Galician canning companies that have adapted well to the changes and have had positive results… but these results have also come thanks to the fact that they produce private labels for large companies such as Mercadona, Carrefour, DIA and Lidl.
Jealsa’s turnover grew by 11%, according to data supplied by the cannery at the beginning of the year. And this has gone hand in hand with Mercadona’s expansion and results in Spain and, above all, Portugal. It should be remembered, to understand the relationship, that Jealsa is the supplier of tuna for Mercadona’s private label, marketed under the Hacendado brand.
The expansion and marketing to other countries is what has had a positive impact. This is the case of the Frinsa Group, which extended its presence abroad with the creation of new subsidiaries in South Africa and Miami. They join those it already had in Germany, Romania, Poland, Singapore, Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal and France.
Frinsa is one of the largest European tuna processors and supplier of Carrefour, Lidl or DIA, among others, and has experienced strong growth in recent years that led it to expand into other countries.
The turnover of the canning company is around 550 million while that of Jealsa exceeds 700 million.
