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standard.“We don’t say this as much anymore, but a lot of places are selling what we pull off of the produce counter every day,” says Vega. “Fresh and nice are the key.”
Local promotion is also imperative. Walking into the store during the summer, one can see a small display of Parker County peaches, as they’re known. “We have tree-ripened peaches comingoutofWeatherford,TX,thatpeoplehere say are the best-tasting,” he says. “There’s a lot of interest in peaches. You just can’t get fresher and better-tasting produce than that which is grown locally.”
Local Forerunner
For decades, long before major chains jumped on the local bandwagon, Roy Pope sold fruits and vegetables grown by area farmers. “We sell tons of local produce,” says Vega. “Every year, it’s a bigger and bigger thing. Local is what our customers have come to expect.”
The store sells other Texas produce, including watermelons and Texas 1015 sweet onions from wholesalers, and buys products from local farmers when they are in season. Scott Farms,located about 100 miles from Roy Pope in Cisco, TX, delivers twice a week and provides the store the Sugar Queen variety
of cantaloupe, a cross between a traditional cantaloupe and an Israel melon.
“By speaking to the farmers, it helps us tell customers about new things when they ask,” says Vega. “I can tell them we have new tomatoes from Weatherford or from Florida, and will let the cashiers know so they can pass along that information to our customers.”
SignageiskeytosellingRoyPope’sproduce. Until recently, Vega says he didn’t think much about it. One day, however, he noticed the signs were aging. Working with their grocery supplier, the store placed new wipeable plastic signs which include the store’s logo. End cap signage highlights the store’s bananas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and microwavable potatoes.
Roy Pope’s merchandising philosophy is to market produce items close to each other. A salad display includes related items such as carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. “We try to have a little of everything and every product for anyonelookingforacompletemeal,”saysVega.
Merchandising Flair
This also provides color breaks, important for merchandising. “We try to break things up by color, so everything isn’t one color,” says Vega. “That also helps tickle shoppers’ brains,
to remind them to make things, like salads.” For general produce, the store is supplied by area wholesalers/distributors including Brothers Produce of Dallas, Ben E. Keith Co., and Nogales Produce, Inc. Roy Pope sources from about six local growers during the season, which typically begins in late March and early April and finishes in late September. Big local itemsincludelettuce,greenbeans,sweetcorn, squash, tomatoes, watermelons and cantaloupe. Avocados are Roy Pope’s biggest-selling produce item. Berries, which are received daily, also sell well. Brussels sprouts, sun-dried toma- toes, fresh herbs and grapes are other big sellers. “Without the produce department, a shopper would have to go to another store to complete their meal,” says Vega. “We want produce to complement everything else we’re doing, and everything else we’re doing complements produce. It all goes hand in hand.” pb
FACT FILE:
Roy Pope Grocery
2300 Merrick St.
Fort Worth, TX, 76107
P: (817) 732-2863
Hours: Mon – Sat - 9 am to 6:30 pm www.roypopegrocery.com
PRODUCE BUSINESS / APRIL 2019 / 19