Market-based value adding and differentiation of salmon

This project aims to provide novel insights that can help Norwegian salmon companies to improve their long term competitiveness and profitability through enhanced value adding and differentiation strategies. The project will base its results on in-depth s tudies of key buyers in three important markets for Atlantic salmon; France, Japan, and the UK. In this way, we aim to provide insights regarding opportunities for value creation. In addition a comparative study of Norwegian, Chilean and Scottish salmon c ompanies will be conducted in order to identify successful ways of enhancing value through differentiation strategy. The research approach is largely exploratory in that the first phase of the industry study and the market study will be based on in-dept h interviews with key informants in selected organisations. But the second phase of the industry study will be based on a survey where the aim is to test hypoteses derived at in the exploratory phase. The project is led by Fiskeriforskning where the mai n part of the research will be conducted. The project is, however, based on international collaboration with highly competent partners located in Chile and Scotland. It is expected that the project will contribute with important insights to industry in t hat findings will help companies to move away from producing traditional commodities and selling their products in the spot market to become more market oriented and find profitable positions within value added market segments.