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merchandising review melons
n PLAY UP VARIETY
Offering variety both within main- stream melons as well as specialty types increases overall demand. K-VA-T’s mainstays include seedless water- melon, cantaloupe and honeydew with year-round availability but also incor- porate variety. “Variety will help with different consumer preferences, for example seeded watermelon, seedless watermelon, personal size watermelon, western cantaloupe and Athena canta- loupe, among others,” says Keith Cox, produce category manager.
Carrying melon varieties beyond the core assortment can differentiate a retailer. “It attracts new consumers and adds color that creates interest,” says Gina Garven, director of category management for Robinson Fresh in Eden Prairie, MN. “Consumers are drawn in to larger displays, and offering promotional opportunities that might entice them to pick up a new variety adds incremental sales for the retailer, and diversity of flavor profiles for the consumer — particularly something Millennial consumers are looking for.”
Garven reports a promotional offer growing in popularity with shoppers is the Buy One, Try One. “This allows the shopper to buy their core melon item and get to take home a new varietal,” she says. “It’s best during peak season for melons to ensure a great tasting experience and repeat sales opportu- nities. Although only a small portion of overall melon sales (less than five percent) comes from new and differen-
tial varietals, they are growing in demand from Millennials. Yellow Watermelon and Persian melons are generating the highest growth in the varietal category year-over-year. And, mini-melons consis- tently increased in sales year-over-year.”
For Wes Liefer, president and chief exectuive of Pura Vida Farms in Brea, CA, specialty melons allow a retailer to offer something unique to shoppers as well as capitalize on ethnic customers looking for something from their homeland. “Carrying a variety of melons allows a
store to serve a diverse customer back- ground,” he says. “Specialty melons each retailer should have include Crenshaw, Casaba, Galia, Hami, Juan Canary, Orange- Flesh Honeydew and Santa Claus (Piel de Sapo),” he says. “Crenshaw and Casaba tend to be popular with the older gener- ations. The younger generations go for other types of melons — Hami is more popular with Millennials, for example.”
Sam Marrogy, produce manager at Harbortown Market in Detroit, reports strong demand in his store for specialty melons in season. “I do a table and mix all the specialty melons,” he says. We also cut the specialties and mix with fresh-cut watermelon. The color makes a nice contrast and customers really respond to it.”
Although variety is a must-have, Dan O’Connor, vice president of sales at Ayco Farms in Pompano Beach, FL, cautions stores should keep it simple. “It’s never a good idea to confuse a consumer,” he says. “The most successful retailers have bulk display on the three main melons and offer a smaller display of specialty melons. True success in specialty comes from offering something sufficiently different on the outside so customers can differentiate — for example, the Santa Claus or Crenshaw.”
Liefer cautions retailers not to canni- balize sales by advertising one specialty melon over another. “It’s better to group specialty melons together on ad rather than singling one out,” he says. “Advertise as mixed melons or variety melons and sell them all at the same price.”
n SPECIALTY MELONS
Crenshaw: Cream-colored melon with soft flesh.
Casaba: Bright yellow with firm refreshing flavor.
Galia: Looks like cantaloupe on outside but green on inside with soft flesh. Very high in sugar and sweet.
Hami: Popular Asian melon. White to orange-ish internal color. Sweet, firm flesh.
Juan Canary: Bright yellow, oval- shaped. Firm flesh with good sugar and flavor.
Orange-Flesh Honeydew: Exter- nally looks like regular honeydew, but orange flesh inside. Very sweet, rich flavor.
Santa Claus (Piel de Sapo): Oval shape with green outside and white firm flesh on inside.
(source: Pura Vida Farms)
No. 1 fresh-cut fruit item,” she says. “Last year, fresh-cut melons generated more than $1 billion in retail sales, accounting for 39 percent of total retail melon sales. Addition- ally, about 50 percent of fresh-cut watermelon sales occur during fall and winter months.”
Rosado explains fresh-cut watermelon eliminates a major obstacle to sales. “More than half the battle with selling watermelon is to get people to buy a whole one,” she says. “The top two purchase barriers are: they don’t know how to select it, or, they don’t know what to do with the whole watermelon so as not to waste. So, take out the guessing game.”
Marrogy agrees fresh-cut solves the dilemma for customers who don’t want a
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whole melon or who are looking for some- thing quick. “Offering sliced or cut melons hits all consumer segments,” he says. “We offer sliced and cut watermelon all year long and use them in fruit mixes. Our fresh-cut melons have resulted in establishing us as a destination for this — a lot of people come to our store or department because they know they can get good mixed fruit or sliced fruit here.”
Cross merchandising whole melons with cut melons doubles the bang for the buck. O’Connor reports successful stores have a refrigerated case of fresh-cut with bulk display of melons on the sides. “This drives a lot of impulse sales because retailers don’t need
to lower the price to increase lift,” he says. “With the additional frontage, it’s not about the price, it’s about the volume of the display. Wegmans particularly does a great job of this.”
Cross merchandising is always a great opportunity to showcase more than one item and the benefits observes Rosado. “Do a recipe demo or sampling event and have the items together and available for purchase right there,” she says. “The customer gets the oppor- tunity to taste it and then the convenience of having the items at their fingertips to buy. Demos and promotions involving more than one commodity tend to always have great success and drive the sales of more than one product.” pb