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merchandising review apples
Pair the displays with recipes and give the consumer an idea on how to use the items,” says Sinks, of the Sage Fruit Co.
Mascari suggests moving apples outside produce department boundaries: “Get apples into the cereal aisle, and near the checkout, where people can pick them up on the go.”
Tops has been successful with the grab- and-go concept by the checkout aisles. “We learned from bananas, and thought, ‘why not try apples?’ Sometimes we get some love there,” says Cady.
HOLIDAY TIE-INS
Apples add luster to produce department sales during the holiday-studded fourth quarter.
Sinks says it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase di erent varieties. “For example, during the month of October (Halloween), cross-merchandise Granny Smith apples with caramel sauce for candied apples. In November and December, highlight varieties that are best for making pies,” he says.
“ anksgiving and Christmas are baking
“During October (Halloween), cross-merchandise Granny Smith apples with caramel sauce for candied apples. In November and December, highlight varieties that are best for making pie. ”
— Chuck Sinks, Sage Fruit Company
holidays,” says Rainer’s Tudor. “ at’s a popular time to promote Granny Smith and some of the other apples good for baking.”
In January, the twin promotional themes of wellness and back to school kick o sales that continue strong through April, says Pepperl.
“In late spring and summer, we are constantly preaching that even though apples aren’t on the top of customers’ minds, you must have good representation,” says CMI’s Harter.
Adding a festive event to your promo- tional year can jazz up sales. “We try to do some sort of extravaganza with our customers, like an Apple Fest; something that draws attention to the variety and draws people to apples. at’s super, super important,” says Pepperl. “ e big thing we’re looking more for out of retailers is to make sure they’re giving us that ‘celebration space,’ ... for one to two weeks occasionally, to bust out of the department and get a front-end display.”
e NYAA will host a Holiday Display Contest Extravaganza Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, “to inspire retailers to build displays that show case New York apples and ciders,” says Haskins, and prizes will include an all-ex- pense paid trip through New York’s apple- growing region.
Haskins says apple consumption is “always steady and slightly increasing. Sales of apples throughout the year stay steady too because apples are available year-round and are convenient, versatile and tasty.”
As consumers discover and crown new favorites, Fowler is hopeful consumption will continue to grow.
“I think that with some of these newer varieties that eat a lot better, there’s more excitement out there for good apples,” he says. “I’m pretty optimistic that if we get behind these things and do what we should as growers, packers and shippers, we will drive consumption upward.” pb
142 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS