Salmon came off a touch last week. The London Fish Exchange’s snapshot to 30 October has the Norwegian exporters’ index falling through 70 NOK to finish the week in the high 60s per kilo, a drop of around 5% from the low 70s. Undercurrent News reported the same move on 30 October, the first fall in about a month, and put it down to a strong krone and softer demand.
Don’t bank on it carrying on. LFEX’s early read for this week is roughly where the market closed, so the drop looks to have paused rather than kept going, and salmon normally firms up as Christmas gets closer. If you have the chilled or frozen room, early November is a sensible point to agree your Christmas salmon volumes with suppliers rather than chasing spot in the middle of December.
Underneath the price, demand is holding up well. The Norwegian Seafood Council’s mid-year report, covered by World Fishing and The Grocer on 28 October, found UK shoppers buying seafood a little more often despite tight budgets. Chilled seafood is up around 6% by value and nearly 2% by volume, and the whole UK seafood market is close to £5bn, up nearly 5%. More, smaller shops rather than bigger baskets.
That pattern matters for the van. More frequent purchases mean more rounds to shops and restaurants, more whole salmon and sides sitting in the back between drops, and more door openings on every run. The same NSC coverage says around six in ten whitefish shoppers are swayed by clear origin labelling, so boat, port or farm names on the counter and on Christmas order forms are worth the effort.
This is my Ready for Christmas point, and I’ll keep it short because I know you heard it from me in October. If the van is full on a normal Friday it will not cope with the fortnight before Christmas. Get the fridge unit serviced now and check it holds temperature with the doors opening repeatedly. If stock stays on the van overnight, electric standby does it without idling. A second or bigger van ordered now is realistic; one ordered in December is not.
One date for the diary: Seafish is running its Seafood in Numbers webinar this Thursday, 5 November, at 10.30am, going through the latest findings from its annual report, which was due on the Seafish website on 2 November. Half an hour well spent before you commit to Christmas volumes.
Quick checklist
- Agree Christmas salmon volumes with suppliers this week, before prices firm in December
- Book the fridge unit service now and test it with repeated door openings
- Keeping stock on the van overnight? Ask about electric standby
- Put boat, port or farm names on counter tickets and order forms
- Seafish Seafood in Numbers webinar: Thursday 5 November, 10.30am
Also in the news
- Reported 2 November: Scottish salmon farmers have won an appeal against SEPA’s sea lice licence changes; the regulator skipped required steps before adding limits. Source
- First bluefin tuna landed in Wales: five fish from a Milford Haven trial were processed and sold to local customers at Burry Port. Source
- New brand WILD’R has put ready-to-eat tuna into Sainsbury’s, chasing shoppers who want seafood without the prep; convenience lines matter on your counter too. Source
If December means more salmon and more rounds than the current van can take, these three are the ones I’d look at, all converted and checked before delivery, with the manufacturer’s warranty plus the fridge unit’s own.
- 2026 Ford Transit 350 Trend L3H2 Refrigerated Chiller Van: £41,995 +VAT
- 2026 Maxus Deliver 9 L3H2 Refrigerated Chiller Van: £31,495 +VAT
- 2026 Ford Transit Custom Trend L1H1 Refrigerated Chiller Van: £34,995 +VAT
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Sources: LFEX European Aquaculture Snapshot to 30th October, 2026 – The London Fish Exchange, Salmon farmers win appeal against Scottish regulator’s sea lice licence changes – Undercurrent News, UK seafood sales grow despite budget pressures, Rising seafood purchases reveal new growth opportunities for UK retailers, says NSC, Seafish to unveil key industry insight at Seafood in Numbers 2026 webinar, First bluefin tuna landed in Wales sold to local customers – Undercurrent News
