BAD RETAILING

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LII, Issue 32, 21 April 1931, Page 5

BAD RETAILING

N.Z. BUTTER _JT HOME.

INDIFFERENT QUALITY.

"The dairy industry must not be too optimistic of a rise in prices to anywhere near the old level because of the increasing production of the Argentine, Australia and elsewhere," said Mr F. V. Lysons, of Hawera, in a statement made after an extensive tour of Britain and the Continent. "That is all the more reason," he continued, "for making every attempt to give the purchasers the best quality possible and to market the produce under its own name. Many margarine products are finding favour at Home, and I would sooner have margarine selling at 6d to 8d per lb. than some of the New Zealand butter I have purchased in England." Mr Lysons said that he had been surprised to find New Zealand butter was generally rank and unpalatable when obtained from retail shops, and he considered that the trouble lay in keeping the butter too long out of cool store before reaching the consumers' tables. He suggested, although admitting that he spoke as no authority, but merely as a purchaser and an interested observer, that some system of cool storage was required in the retail stores. ' 'If any private business had a turnover similar to that of the New Zeaalnd dairy industry there would be a much greater advertising allocation than at present," said Mr Lysons. "The Dairy Produce Board is opening a number of shops at intervals and selling sample pats of butter direct from the cool stores, and a favourable impression toward the product is formed. "That is soon lost, however, when it becomes impossible to obtain from the stores anything like the sample in quality. It is possible to obtain good quality butter at some of the bigger | stores where the turnover is rapid, but more often than not our butter j does not reach the consumer in a proper condition because of the time it is I kept out of cool store. | "The farmers of this country," said IMr Lysons, "have no conception of what advertising is necessary at Home. New Zealand lamb and mutton are very well advertised, and reach the market in excellent condition. Honey also is well advertised, but there is great difliculty in obtaining New Zealand fruit. "Some sort of combined activity seems necessary by the primary producers, who could probably consider the opening of shops to sell butter, cheese, honey, toheroas, whitebait, fruit, and so on. They should prove wonderful advertising mediums. The shops would be more or less in opposition to the Maypole Dairies, in which the Danish producers appear to have a big say, and that, perhaps, is one reason why such shops should be established." Mr Lysons noticed on many shop windows a "Fernleaf" transfer supplied by the Dairy Board and underneath it the words "Empire Butter," which term might mean anything, and probably many purchasers would receive Australian or other makes, to the detriment of N.Z. produce. If the advertising were more extensive and butter reached consumers' tables in proper condition, the prices would probably soon right themselves. The prices when Mr Lysons was in England were 1/3 for New Zealand butter and 1/10 for Danish.