Fish and Seafood Wholesaling in Australia - Industry Research Report

Slipped Through the Net: Wholesale Bypass and Covid-19 Restrictions Have Eaten Away at Revenue

Fish and seafood wholesalers have faced a challenging operating environment in recent years. Wholesale bypass has driven industry revenue down. In particular, the major supermarkets, Coles, Woolworths and ALDI, are increasingly purchasing seafood directly from vertically integrated fish and seafood operators to gain greater control over their supply chains and reduce costs. The pandemic has also disrupted supply chains and negatively affected downstream demand from the food-service sector. Industry revenue is set to diminish at an annualised 1.5% over the five years through 2022-23, to an estimated $4.7 billion. This trend includes an anticipated dip of 0.5% in 2022-23 as discretionary incomes and inflation diminish real revenue growth.

Industry operators primarily purchase fish and seafood from the aquaculture, wild fishing and seafood processing industries. These products may be repackaged or sold straight to specialist fish and seafood retailers, supermarkets, food catering companies, cafes, hotels and restaurants. The industry excludes wholesaling canned fish or seafood. The industry also excludes processing activities such as freezing whole finfish and shelling, freezing or bottling oysters in brine.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.