Trade marketing body set to shine a light on Scottish seafood in world’s biggest market
Seafood Scotland, the national trade marketing body for the industry, has kicked off a new marketing drive in China this month to re-establish Scotland’s seafood as a premium product in a post-Covid world.
Globally, the seafood industry was hit hard by the impact of Covid-19, with disruption to the supply chain and decline in consumption creating the perfect storm for the market. To help Scottish seafood companies develop more sales opportunities and distribution channels for those that are already in the market, Seafood Scotland has partnered with the China-Britain Business Council to host a programme of both virtual and in-person events aimed at bolstering opportunities.
Adam Wing, Head of Trade Marketing, Europe and Asia, commented: “The expansion of China’s middle class with disposable income and demand for a diverse diet has stimulated the growth of imported seafood products with China importing over 4 million tonnes of seafood in 2020.
“The figures are staggering and it’s a market that has real growth potential for Scotland. Chinese people have a very strong appetite for Scottish seafood as they appreciate the high quality and provenance of our products so it’s important that after a challenging year of Covid restrictions, Scottish companies are fully armed with everything they need to build upon existing relationships and nurture new ones as we emerge from the pandemic.”
The first of the events from Seafood Scotland in Collaboration with CBBC is a China Seafood Import Market and Regulations Update Webinar which will be an online forum to update Scottish companies on how the sector and opportunity regulations have changed post-Covid-19 and the key product lines and routes to market to focus on in 2021.
Social media promotion is next on the agenda on Chinese platform WeChat which will provide a platform to showcase Scottish products and introduce key messages to prominent Chinese trade professionals Tackling the ‘Why Scottish?’ question which will be supported by a prominent Chinese chef as well as the Agriculture, Food and Drink Counsellor from the British Embassy in Beijing.
A Scottish Seafood B2B Showcase and Tasting event will be hosted in Beijing in late March to boost awareness of Scottish seafood amongst key industry stakeholders and business professionals. The event will mark an important milestone as it will be one of the first live events Seafood Scotland has been able to take part in for over a year due to social distancing restrictions.
As international travel restrictions remain in place, the final event in the programme will be virtual.The Scottish Seafood Virtual Meet-The-Buyer will match seafood companies with highly qualified seafood importers, distributors and retailers in China with each company having the opportunity to attend five meetings for a duration of 30 minutes each.
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