WENATCHEE, Wash. – Apples needed more love in February 2017 according to Stemilt’s latest Fruit Tracker™ Fast Facts video analysis. Sales of apples fell 5.4 percent when compared to February 2016. Apple volume was up slightly year-over-year, but all regions except the East fell short of apple performance in February 2016. Stemilt’s Fast Facts video for February can be viewed here.
“February is historically a strong month for apple sales. Retailers sold 59 pounds of apples more on average in February, but brought in $190 dollars less weekly than in February 2016. This year’s larger crop and fruit size is ripe with opportunities for promotion, especially on the bulk side,” said Brianna Shales, Stemilt communication manager.
Bulk is the primary purchasing method for apples, and that remained true in February 2017 with 59.1 percent of sales coming from bulk. The remaining 40.9 percent were sold in bags, and predominately three and five pound bags, which made up a combined 77.6 percent of dollar sales on bags.
The top five apple varieties in February 2017 were: Gala at 28.2 percent of apple sales, Fuji at 13.8 percent, Red Delicious at 12.3 percent, Granny Smith at 11.6 percent and Honeycrisp at 11.1 percent. Gala was up a whopping 5.2 percent year-over-year while Honeycrisp saw 2.6 percent more sales in February 2017 than the year prior.
“The increase in February sales of Honeycrisp is a result of increased volume and season extension of this popular apple. It’s a trend we expect to continue to see happen in future years,” said Shales.
Retail prices were down for most of the top 10 club apple varieties in February 2017, except Jazz, Piñata®, Kiku Fuji and Lady Alice. The retail price for Lady Alice was up 16.2 percent while Piñata® was up 10.8 percent from February 2016, at $1.74 per pound. The U.S. average retail price of all apples in February 2017 was $1.60 per pound compared to $1.74 per pound in 2016.
“Club apples are an important part of the apple category, and there are still opportunities to promote them this spring. Our signature variety, Piñata®, will be available through May and we are seeing some of the best fruit of the year right now coming out of storage, with great color and dessert eating qualities,” said Shales.
In addition to promoting club apples, Stemilt recommends retailers run multi-variety bulk promotions on apples now to reignite the category. Apples accounted for an average of 6.8 percent of produce sales nationally in January 2017, but saw that number drop to 6.5 percent in February 2017. One additional promotion would spark both volume and sales of apples, Shales noted.
“Apples are an important part of the produce department all year long,” said Shales. “At Stemilt, we have a variety of merchandising options to help retailers capture more apple sales this spring. Bulk is a must, and we also recommend sparking the category by segmenting apples to each consumer group – Lil Snappers® for parents, Fresh Blenders™ for health nuts, and Apple Lover bags for those shoppers who love apples.”
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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, visitwww.stemilt.com and follow Stemilt on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt Growers
