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merchandising review apples
“What could I do that’s drastically di erent to get incremental sales? ... How can I work with my apple supplier to schedule and execute exciting promotions and display vehi- cles? Talk to your apple supplier to see what those ideas may be — ad features and displays and themes and promotions,” Harter says.
WHAT’S HOT
According to the U.S. Apple Association, the Falls Church, VA-based organization that represents the nation´s 7,500 apple growers and regional associations, the top 10 varieties sold in America are: Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Cripps Pink/Pink Lady, Braeburn and Jazz. But that’s just where the
story starts. Pepperl says, “ ere are a lot of apple varieties out there.”
“What’s hot in terms of a popular variety is really what the consumer considers to be his or her personal favorite – and everyone has one,” says Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO of the New York Apple Association
(NYAA) based in Fishers, NY. “Some like the newest varieties, others like the classics, and a wide swath of people crave all the diverse varieties in between.”
“Honeycrisp is always at the top of the list for what’s ‘hot,’” says Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing for Sage Fruit Company in Yakima, WA. “But, this year, we will also be shipping Smitten apples – both organic and conventional – and that’s something we are very excited about. ese apples should be demoed, given front-of-the-department displays, etc.”
Je Cady, director of produce and oral for the 169-store Tops Friendly Markets chain based in Williamsville, NY, says the move to managed varieties is a trend in Tops stores. “We’ve been pushing those, moving
nVALUE-ADDED APPLES
Timesaving and convenient, grab-and- go packages of sliced apples have become produce department staples year-round and continue to offer new value-added sales opportunities.
“Sliced apples offer great convenience to consumers, and sales of them have grown significantly over the past 10 years,” says Cynthia Haskins, president and chief executive of the New York Apple Associa- tion. “It is important to include them near the front of the store so they are visible to consumers who want an instant snack. In addition to convenient sliced packs, 3- and 5-pound bags, totes and zipper pouches are all popular with on-the-go consumers too.”
Crunch Pak, one of the largest produc- ers of sliced apples in the United States, has products in 16,000 stores and con- tinues to expand its product line to sat- isfy the demand for fresh and healthy snacks for children and adults. Serving sizes range from individual to party-size to foodservice. Apples, sweet, tart or mixed, are always the main feature but the Snacker line adds cheese and grapes or pretzels, and Dipperz products offer peanut butter or caramel.
Organic options are also popular, “about 30-40 percent of our business,” says Tony Freytag, a founder and executive vice president of the Cashmere, WA-based Crunch Pak. And peeled apple slices, add- ed several years ago, are now a mainstay as well. “We continue to see that item grow. We didn’t do peeled for many years.
But a lot of parents, from what I’m told, were peeling our slices,” he says.
About two years ago, Freytag says Walmart asked the company to create a snack themed around PAW Patrol, a pop- ular children’s show on the Nickelodeon channel. The result was two paw-shaped trays of apple slices, cheese (Cheddar or string), cinnamon “dog bone” cookies, and caramel or grapes. The packages are wrapped in kid-friendly graphics, bright red and blue and featuring PAW Patrol characters.
Crunch Pak’s partner-
ship with Disney a few
years earlier resulted in
Foodles, Mickey Mouse-
shaped trays featuring com-
binations of apples, cheese,
grapes, pretzels and crackers.
The Foodles format has been
so popular it’s now in 8,000
stores and for at least one major retailer is the No. 1 and No. 2 top-sell- ing snack item, says Freytag.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CRUNCHPAK.COM
Marc Goldman, produce director for Morton Williams, the Bronx-based chain of 15 stores in the New York Metropolitan area, says it took time for sliced apples to gain traction in his stores, but they have found their niche. “It started out slow,” he says. “Now, in some stores they sell very well. It depends on the neighborhood. We merchandise it with the cut-fruit. People buy it for the kids in school. Sometimes in the fall we’ll even buy it in bulk and put it in the mixed fruit cups.”
Even though apples – and apple slices – are both year-round commodities, Freytag says the compa- ny sees a 10-15 percent drop in sales during the summer, when stone fruit and berries are in abundance. He says Crunch Pak is exploring other fruit and snack combina- tions, including meal replacements. But apples, he says, “will always be our
core business.” pb
132 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS