Page 54 - Index

merchandising review pears
Use ‘Four P’s’To Sell More Pears
Smart pricing, promotions, the right products and placement can lift category.
BAY HOWARD RIELL
mericans love pears in a va- riety of ways — and the primary challenge for retail produce departments is to illustrate those.
Merchandising methods for doing this include delineating the host of varieties avail- able, o ering menu suggestions, targeting parents of small children and keeping produce in peak condition.
Pear consumption has been on the decline over the past few years, says Brianna Shales, communications manager for Stemilt Growers LLC in Wenatchee, WA, “and that’s some- thing we want to reverse. We see avor and promotion as the ways to get pears back in the cart. When people have a good experience, they come back again. Stemilt’s Operation Flavor focus is centered on ensuring that we are delivering great quality and high- avor pears to stores.”
Kathy Stephenson, director of marketing communications for Pear Bureau Northwest in Milwaukie, OR, acknowledges the downward consumption trend but points out that change may be close at hand, at least in the Paci c Northwest crop. “After three down years in production, we had a strong crop last season.”
Bartlett and d’Anjou pears are the most popular varieties, according to Shales. “ eir seasons overlap some, but in general, Bartlett kicks o the new pear season and d’Anjou replaces it as the volume leader once the Bart- lett season starts to wind down.”
INTERCONNECTED PARTS
Putting together a retail program to market pears e ectively means establishing a multifaceted approach that includes but is not limited to the following:
Conditioning: Sustainability in processing and packaging is a major initiative right now across the entire produce depart- ment, according to Chuck Sinks, president of Sage Fruit Company in Yakima, WA. “Conditioned pears are also becoming more and more popular for better eating quality.” His company is currently expanding its
54 / SEP TEMBER 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
conditioned pear program.
Many retailers with conditioned pears
provide a sign that states they are “sweet and juicy” to encourage shoppers to recognize pears are ripe, Stephenson says. Others simply add the word “ripe” to the shelf tags. “Finally, many retailers do not add any point-of-sale messaging and see their sales increase as a result of higher consumer satisfaction and fruit that is consumed sooner and more frequently.”
When it comes to winter pears like D’Anjou and Red d’Anjou, ripening “really is the ticket to consumer satisfaction and retail success,” notes Shales. Her company has been a long-time leader in ripening via its RipeRite ready-to-eat pear program.
Shales says it’s important for retailers to message consumers when carrying ripened pears, as well as educate them about how to tell when pears are ripe and ready to eat. at doesn’t mean sharing the science behind them, she notes, “but if they can tap into similar strategies around how they’ve messaged when avocados are ready to eat, that’s a great start. “We know that when shoppers have a great experience with ripe pears, then they will come back to the store sooner to have that experi- ence again,” she says.
Stephenson adds, “We have an industry group that is ready to do what it can to ensure ripe-and-ready fruit for the retailer and consumer. is includes creating ripening programs at the DCs for the retailer or condi- tioning fruit at the packing and shipping facil- ities.”
More and more retailers are adopting a
conditioned-pear program, she says, adding, “and with our modern shopper wanting produce that is ready to consume, we think the pear industry is working with each of our retailers to determine the best program.”
Storage: To accommodate riper fruit, Sinks says pears should be stored in a retail cooler. “ is will help maintain their ripeness for consumers, while also slowing the process down so as not to lead to a large amount of shrink,” says Sinks.
Merchandising: To help generate excite- ment around pears, Sinks recommends building large, eye-catching displays with informational material to help consumers know what to look for in their purchases. Information can also include how to select and store pears. “ e displays are especially bene cial during new crop/harvest season, as well as during the holidays,” he says. In order to create still more excitement, Sage is investing in new, consum- er-friendly packaging that allows the company to maximize its e orts across all sizes of fruit.
Marketing: ere is no one way to generate pear excitement, Shales has found, but aligning what she refers to as the “four P’s” of marketing — price, promotion, the right product and placement — is always going to lead to success. “We see promotions focused around tying pears with gourmet foods like cheese and wine as part of a charcuterie board. We also see big displays of pears and callouts about the unique features of each variety. e big thing for retailers to generate excitement on pears is to regularly promote them when in peak season. is means monthly ads — at