Page 32 - February2019

spring merchandising
SPRING HOLIDAYS BRING BLOOMING SALES
Build your ring with these savvy merchandising tips from produce experts.
BY CAROL M. BAREUTHER
You can take the seasonality out of the produce department with the year-round supply of most fruits and vegetables, but you can’t take the seasonality out of shoppers’
taste expectations and buying habits. Artichokes, avocados, berries, cabbage, horseradish, sweet corn, sweet onions and tomatoes are favorites this time of year because of peak-of-season taste, a strong domestic supply and promotable pricing. What’s more, the second quarter of 2018 — which includes the spring months of April and May — represented the highest contribution of produce to total store fresh sales at 35 percent (compared to data from the fourth quarter of 2017 through the third quarter of 2018), according to FreshFacts on Retail reports published by the United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, DC. is makes spring an especially ripe time to make
the produce ring bloom.
“Seasonal holiday themes help to remind
32 / FEBRUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
shoppers that the produce department is ever- evolving in its o erings based on what has come in to season, as well as what is popularly used that time of year when it may not be used as much the rest of the year,” says Alex Berkley, sales manager for Frieda’s Specialty Produce, in Los Alamitos, CA. “Using seasonal themes in produce allows consumers to connect unique items to holidays and times of year they are familiar with. Spring is unique in that there is a bounty of fruits and vegetables that comes back into season that add color to the plate and nutrition to their diet.”
ST. PATRICK’S DAY MARCH 17
ere’s a nice bump in sales of cabbage, carrots and potatoes at Robert Fresh Market come mid-March. e reason may be surprising. e produce is for parade give- aways rather than directly destined for the cookpot, according to Terry Esteve, produce director of the six-store chain headquartered
PHOTO COURTESY OF DRISCOLL’S
in New Orleans. “ rowing produce from the oats is the tradition. As a result, we build bigger displays and o er hot deals.”
Any disbelief in the ability of a parade to push produce sales need only consider that last year’s 45th Annual Olde Town Slidell Association St. Patrick’s Day Parade, held 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, saw 5,000 heads of cabbage, 10,000 onions and 25,000 potatoes, plus beads and stu ed toys, thrown to the watching crowd.
“March is a great month to promote cabbage out of storage,” says Maureen Torrey Marshall, vice president of marketing at Torrey Farms, Inc., in Elba, NY. “Lent starts on March 6 — Ash Wednesday — and this is a popular time for sh fries. Coleslaw is the typical accompaniment. Cabbage, as well as potatoes, go with corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day, especially in the Northeast. en, there’s March Madness. Coleslaw is a common side in the south for game day foods such as pulled pork sandwiches.”