WENATCHEE, Wash. – Spring is right around the corner, and Stemilt is looking to the festive St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 17th to promote its vibrant and high-quality crop of larger-sized Granny Smith apples. The company will place a decorative leprechaun sticker on its “Apple Lover’s” 5lb. pouch bags to help retailers promote everyone’s favorite green apple alongside St. Patrick’s Day, while simultaneously driving up the average purchase size through the 5lb. grab-and-go bag.
According to Stemilt’s Fruit Tracker program and analysis of Nielsen Fresh Facts retail scan data, Granny Smith has consistently been the #4 selling apple variety in the U.S. since the new crop started in September 2016, with an average of 11% of apple category sales.
Mother Nature delivered larger sized Granny Smith apples this year, making for great bulk promotion opportunities in March. According to Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl, a St. Patrick’s Day bulk ad on size 72 and larger Granny Smith apples is ideal for capturing a larger ring with consumers.
“Sizing up is one of the easiest ways to drive sales in the category, as people tend to purchase the same number of apples when buying bulk, but will be purchasing more weight because of the larger fruit size. Bulk accounts for more than 64% of all apple sales, and must be a focus as we head into the springtime,” said Pepperl.
Pepperl also recommends using larger sized Granny Smith apples in 5lb. or 6lb. bag options to provide consumers with a grab-and-go bag at better value than bulk. “Large bags are great for in-and-out promotions and driving tonnage up. It’s a perfect way to capture impulse sales through large displays at the front of the store,” Pepperl said.
Stemilt’s success with a candy cane themed bag during the holiday season drove the company to add the festive St. Patrick’s Day sticker on 5lb. Apple Lovers pouch bags of Granny Smith apples for a limited time.
“The sticker helps retailers promote Granny Smith apples around the St. Patrick’s Day theme, and it also conveys to the consumer that the apples inside each bag are freshly packed. This makes a high-quality product stand out in store displays,” said Pepperl.
For more information about Stemilt’s St. Patrick’s Day promotion opportunities, contact your Stemilt representative.
###
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 Growers
