January Apple Category Shows Gala Down; Pink Lady Brand On The Rise

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Stemilt’s industry leading category management program. Fruit Tracker, released a new Stemilt-O-Graphic for apples today that highlights the latest set of retail scan data from Nielsen Fresh Facts®. Stemilt’s apple category analysis shows Gala apples down 1.6% in volume in January 2016, while Pink Lady® brand apples were on the rise, up 0.6% from 2015 at 4.1% of the total apple category. The data looks at the total U.S. on an average from 12/27/15 to 1/30/16 and compares it to the same five week period the year prior.

“Gala continues to be the leading apple variety in the category, but was down 1.6% in volume sales from last year. Red Delicious was flat and Fuji and Granny Smith were each up 1% from last year. Honeycrisp rounded out the top 5 apples at 8.7% of the category, down nearly 2% from 2015,” said Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl.

Pink Lady was not the only trademarked apple variety to shine in January. Opal® apples were retailing for 7.8% more than last year and Pacific Rose® more than doubled the volume it sold in 2015. Stemilt’s signature apple variety, Piñata®, was heavily promoted nationally in January and moved more volume than the same time in 2015 as a result.

Retail prices on apples continued to rise in January, with bulk apples selling for $0.05 more than they did the month prior (December 2015). Smaller fruit size has led to an increase in the percentage of apples sold in bags. Bulk apples made up 60.9% of category volume in January 2016, while bags made up 39.1%.

“With tight supplies on bulk apples this year and most varieties down in size, bags provide a nice promotion vehicle. Retailers can build on the momentum of trademarked apples like Pink Lady® and Piñata® with springtime promotions on 3lb. Lil Snappesr® or 5lb. pouch bags. This drives up the purchase size and helps boost volume sales to the category,” said Pepperl.

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About Stemilt

Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and one of the nation’s largest suppliers of organic tree fruits. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com and follow Stemilt on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and You Tube.

Source: Stemilt