UK Fair Trade fortnight provides opportunity for better sales

Next week, sees the launch of the UK and Ireland's annual Fairtrade Fortnight, which will be held from 22 February to 7 March 2010. During a two week period, the Fairtrade Foundation spearheads a national campaign to promote fair trade. This year, consumers are being urged to join in "the Big Swap", swapping their usual purchases to fair trade branded versions (for example, instead of buying their usual brand of jam, they could switch to Yozuna's fair trade baobab jam).

In the UK, some 4500 products bear the Fairtrade Mark, including food and beverages, clothing and linens, flowers, cosmetics and even footballs.

Fairtrade Fortnight has a strong record of success to date. First established in 1997, in early years the main goal was to ensure that retailers stocks fair trade products: now almost every supermarket in the country has fair trade items, and many of them will conduct special activities and promotions to mark the event, improve product visibility at point-of-sale, give customers access to more fair trade items and to improve sales.

Recently, the focus of Fairtrade Fortnight has shifted to educating consumers about the benefits of fair trade, and to encourage them to discuss fair trade and to buy fair trade products. In 2009, 11,000 events were held during Fairtrade Fortnight, reaching 17.7 million people.

The UK currently leads the way in fair trade retail. A survey conducted in September in 2009 documented that recognition of the Fairtrade Mark had risen to an all-time high of 72%. As reported in "UK Fair Trade Sales Dramatically Increase", despite the tough economic climate, UK consumers are spending more on fair trade products than ever before and sales are expected to jump by an average of 20% during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Fairtrade fortnights are also held in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.