THE data highlights continued strong consumer engagement with stonefruit categories across Australia, with WA outperforming national trends in several key areas across both value and volume growth.

Cherries finish strongly

Cherries delivered one of the strongest performances nationally during the season, with Australian dollar sales increasing 23.2% and national sales volumes rising 19.1% year-on-year.

Western Australia recorded a 12.7% increase in cherry sales value, while volumes also lifted 6% across the state.

More than 41% of Australian households purchased cherries during the year, highlighting continued strong consumer demand for the category.

WA plums deliver standout growth

Plums have been a standout category, with the state recording some of the strongest retail growth nationally.

National plum sales increased 7.6%, while WA significantly outperformed the national average with dollar sales growth of 28.8%.

Volume growth was equally strong, with WA plum volumes increasing 27.5% year-on-year — the highest growth result nationally.

WA accounted for 17.2% of national plum sales value and 15% of national plum volumes during the reporting period.

Nectarines outperform national trend

Although national nectarine sales and volumes declined overall, WA recorded the strongest growth nationally across both measures.

WA nectarine dollar sales increased 9.8%, while volumes lifted 5.5% year-on-year.

The figures suggest nectarines in WA will continue to receive strong retail support and consumer demand through the season.

Peaches remain stable

Peaches recorded relatively stable national performance overall, with both value and volume remaining steady across the category.

Western Australia recorded a 4.8% increase in peach sales value, while volumes remained stable during the reporting period.

More than 43% of Australian households purchased peaches during the year, reinforcing the category’s continued strength within the summerfruit basket.

Positive signs as the season continues

One of the strongest takeaways from the data was WA’s ability to outperform national trends across several stonefruit categories, particularly in plums and nectarines where both retail value and volume growth remained positive.

With several months of the stonefruit season still to play out, the industry will now look forward to the release of additional retail data later in 2026, which will provide a more complete picture of market performance across the full WA Stonefruit season.

Key takeaways

• WA led national growth in nectarines and plums

• WA plum volume growth reached 27.5%

• Cherry sales and volumes remained strong through the completed season

• Household purchasing remained solid across stonefruit categories

• Additional retail data later in 2026 will provide a fuller picture of the complete stonefruit season.

Acknowledgement

Retail and purchasing insights sourced from Hort IQ, powered by NielsenIQ Homescan data for the Australian market.

Methodology note: Cherry data reflects the 52 weeks ending 22 March 2026. Nectarine, peach and plum data reflect the 52 weeks ending 28 December 2025.

Example of a strong independent retailer in-store display driving demand for WA grown produce.