A survey carried out by fine food distributor Cotswold Fayre has revealed that most fine food retailers expect their businesses to grow over the next year.

Competition from mainstream supermarkets continuing to expand their convenience store formats was seen as a major challenge and online shopping services offered by supermarkets were also a perceived concern.

So it was perhaps unsurprising to discover that 84% of those surveyed said stocking products not available to buy in supermarkets was very important, with 16% believing it to be it quite important. None felt it was an unimportant.

Price was seen as the second most important factor when choosing what products to stock, with attractive packaging thirde. Of far less interest to retailers was whether the products were organic or carried the Fair Trade mark.

And, while it is often suggested that consumers are looking for locally sourced produce and have a great interest in provenance, only 21%  said they only bought UK products. The vast majority were more interested in quality and items that added seasonal relevance.

Paul Hargreaves, MD of Cotswold Fayre, said: “We were delighted to see the positivity of the market. And, while none of us can do anything about the weather, there are certainly other challenges that our customers can overcome.

“Several of those surveyed mentioned that they now only stock products that aren’t available in supermarkets, which creates a  huge point of differentiation. And, progressively many are now looking to establish their own home delivery service.