EAGLE, ID – With a 20 percent jump in entries received for this year’s Idaho® Potato Lovers Display Contest, more retailers than ever lifted up spud sales as they competed for $150,000-plus in cash and prizes.
The 32nd annual retail display contest, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, brings out the best in produce department creativity from coast to coast, says Ross Johnson, IPC vice president of retail and international. “We get display entries with everything from quirky potato characters to rustic farm scenes to elaborate hand-lettered posters,” says Johnson. “These displays help drive higher sales too: IPC research has found that test stores with secondary displays of Idaho russets deliver a nearly 10 times growth advantage, while comparison stores with no secondary display achieve an average category growth of only 2.5 percent.”
Everyone who participated in the 2023 IPC contest also was entered in a random sweepstake drawing for a six-day resort getaway for two at the oceanside Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas.
Retailers competed with other same-size stores in one of three categories: 1-5 cash registers, 6-9 cash registers, or 10+ cash registers. Within each store category, entrants were eligible to win these prizes:
- 1st place – $1,500
- 2nd place – $1,000
- 3rd place – $750
- 4th place – $500
- 5th place – $250
- Honorable Mention – $100 (100 selected from remaining entries)
The Category Manager Match Program awarded equivalent prizes to corporate category managers for stores that qualified for a 1st through 5th place prize or the sweepstakes trip to Atlantis. All entrants received a free Brentwood stainless steel 4-slice toaster oven that can toast, broil and bake.
In-store displays were required to incorporate fresh Idaho® potatoes (bag, bulk or both) with a clear label showing the Idaho name and the “Grown in Idaho®” seal, along with a clearly marked Idaho® dehydrated potato product. The display also needed to use IPC 2023 special themed point-of-sale materials: two double-sided Idaho® Potato Lovers logo display signs, one large and two small double-sided signs showing an appetizing photo, and two inflatable Mylar™ Idaho® potato-branded balloons. Displays were required to be in the store’s produce section for at least one week between Feb. 1 and April 15, 2023.
About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance. These ideal growing conditions are what differentiates them from potatoes grown in other states. For more information, visit www.idahopotato.com.
