Plant-based meat products, with sales growth of 26 percent, and plant-based milk and desserts, with sales up 21 percent, are particularly popular. At the same time, a turnaround in animal meat consumption is becoming noticeable: According to Statistics Austria**, this fell by around 10 percent from 2012 to 2022. This social change is affecting all areas of life and work - including food retailing.
As one of the country's largest grocery retailers, BILLA has its finger on the pulse of the times and has set itself the task of meeting the needs of its customers in the best possible way with a diverse plant-based range and corresponding offers with a comprehensive plant-based strategy.
Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development: "The consumption of purely plant-based foods is a sustainable development of our society and has long since ceased to be a trend. We see this both in the high demand at BILLA PFLANZILLA, which has already counted around 137,000 customers since its opening a year ago, and in the plant-based assortment at the BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores. We observe a multitude of developments and innovations in the plant-based sector and see it as our mission to filter these for our customers and to offer the best and largest plant-based assortment. The high growth of purely plant-based product groups and the positive feedback from our customers clearly show us that we are on the right track with our plant-based strategy and are meeting an important need among them."
BILLA PFLANZILLA - a plant-based success story soon to star 3,200 products
As a flagship project of the plant-based strategy, BILLA opened BILLA PFLANZILLA in September 2022, the first store in the classic food retail sector in Europe to offer a purely plant-based range. BILLA thus once again demonstrated its pioneering spirit and has since covered an essential need in the heart of Vienna as the first port of call for plant-based enjoyment. One year later, the rush is still great and the enthusiasm justified: The assortment of the green-yellow store amounts to more than 2,500 plant-based products, and another 800 will be added by the end of October. 16 percent of the BILLA PFLANZILLA range is available exclusively in the store, which covers more than 200 m2, or in the BILLA online store. The BILLA PFLANZILLA product range shows how diverse the enjoyment of purely plant-based foods is and once again illustrates BILLA's strong innovative power. Around 137,000 customers have already been convinced of this since the opening. The plant-based nougat croissant is the most popular item in their shopping bags. The most popular plant-based private label product is Vegavita Extra Pikant with sunflower protein, followed by Vegavita Tofu smoked from organic soy from Austria and Vegavita minced meat.
"The BILLA family offers the largest plant-based product selection in Austria with currently around 7,000 products. Behind this are our boundless pioneering spirit, a multitude of measures and a dedicated team. Last year, for example, we not only conducted Europe's largest tasting of around 3,000 plant-based products in the meat, sausage and fish segments, but are also constantly on the lookout for new innovations that will delight our customers in terms of taste and price. Moreover, in our discount promotions, both the animal-based and the plant-based product are on the same level - wherever there are both versions, we implement promotions uniformly," says Wiederkehr.
Novelty at PFLANZILLA: Plant-based salmon fillet from 3D printer by Revo Foods
According to NielsenIQ*, plant-based fish and seafood have the highest sales growth of more than 1,000 percent in Austria and, due to the even smaller number of products in this category, also the greatest potential. BILLA is serving up a true innovation to match: Fungi-based salmon fillet from Revo Foods' 3D printer is now available to customers exclusively at BILLA PFLANZILLA. The product novelty resembles animal salmon in taste and appearance and contains omega-3, pea proteins and vitamins. In addition, the fungi-based salmon fillet has a lower fat content compared to animal salmon. As early as 2021, the Viennese start-up caused a sensation with smoked salmon "from plants".
From 15 to 16 September 2023: BILLA PFLANZILLA first birthday enjoyment days
To properly celebrate the first birthday of BILLA PFLANZILLA, the plant-based store is inviting customers to a variety of free on-site product tastings on September 15 and 16. Joining them will be Juicy Marbles, Heura Foods, Die Pflanzerei, Goldblatt, Roo'bar, Bett'r, Kookie Cat, Fermentful, Rücker, Vegavita, Bettafish (9/15 only) and The Plant Magic Company (9/16 only). The Revo Foods team will also be at BILLA PFLANZILLA on both days, presenting the new plant-based salmon fillet from the 3D printer, including tasting - while supplies last. Registration is not necessary, just drop by and experience plant-based enjoyment.
References:
* Good Food Institute Europe (GFI), "Austria: Development of the retail plant-based food market 2020-2022," published 2023
** Vegan Society Austria (https://www.vegan.at/neue-versorgungsbilanzen) on the basis of Statistics Austria, supply balances (https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/land-und-forstwirtschaft/landwirtschaftliche-bilanzen/versorgungsbilanzen)
