As restaurants and quick-service points have shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers in Bangladesh turn to supermarkets for frozen ready-to-eat chicken and beef products.
Paragon Group, one of the leading poultry breeders and processors that used to supply its processed chicken to some global chain restaurants and hotels in Bangladesh, has found home delivery as one of the main windows to retain sales. Still, representatives say the shutdown has hit its sales hard, according to local media outlet The Daily Star.
Kazi Food Industries, one of the leading frozen foods and chicken product processors in Bangladesh, that also operates 150 quick-service restaurants, placed its hope in retail sales.
“Two of our sales channels are contributing less now than in the pre-COVID period. But we see good sales through supermarkets,” said Tanvir Haider Chaudhury, chief executive officer of Kazi Food Industries. “We see demand in these areas. From that perspective, frozen foods are still keeping us afloat. But things could have been much better.” As the uncertainty continues, new shopping behavior will translate into growth for the frozen food segment, as Ahmed Rajeeb Samdani, managing director of Golden Harvest Agro Industries, a frozen food giant points out. “We are experimenting with new products and planning to expand capacity. I think the frozen and ready-to-eat food industry is going to grow.”