Winter Springs, FL — The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), has named winners in its annual Retail Merchandising Contest which garnered over 120 entries from various retail chains, independent retailers and commissaries throughout the U.S. and Canada. This year’s contest — the 14th since its’ inception — continued to utilize mixed media marketing efforts in addition to in-store displays. The contest started in July to honor National Watermelon Month and ran throughout the month of August to encourage and identify retailers who are showcasing watermelon’s benefits including health, value and versatility.
Marketing efforts considered in judging included category visibility, point-of-sale materials, good visual merchandising, messaging nutritional benefits, recipes and/or selection education and use of print, online and/or digital platforms. This year’s winners used mixed marketing tactics ranging from eye-catching in-store displays and take-home materials for store customers to social posts that shared watermelon nutrition, fun facts and recipe ideas.
This year’s winners included:
Grand Prize: Schnuck’s Richmond Center – St. Louis, MO
Second Place: Beale AFB Commissary – Beale AFB, CA
Third Place: Thompson’s IGA – Cuba City, WI
Honorable Mentions: Detwiler’s Farm Market – Sarasota, FL; Homestead Carman Co-Op – Manitoba, Canada; TwentyNine Palms Commissary – TwentyNine Palms, CA
“All entries this year really created an experience for shoppers from sharing recipes and information online to colorful, beautiful displays in-store,” said Juliemar Rosado, Director of Retail and International Marketing at NWPB. “It was great to see all the unique spins on merchandising across the stores.”
“The team at Schnuck’s Richmond Center would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to showcase the talent we have here at Schnuck’s Markets,” said Aaron Carroll, Produce Manager for the grand prize winner. “Bringing ideas to life for our customers to get excited about is something we take great pride in.”
More than $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to winners, including $5,000 for Schnuck’s as the grand prize winner. The second place winner will receive $2,500, third place will receive $1,000 and each of the three honorable mentions will receive $500.
A complete list of the winning display with images is attached and posted on https://www.watermelon.org/audiences/retailers/retail-contest/. For more information, contact Juliemar Rosado at jrosado@watermelon.org.
About National Watermelon Promotion Board
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 800 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
A serving of nutrient-dense watermelon provides an excellent source of Vitamin C (25% DV), a source of Vitamin B6 (8% DV), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories per 2-cup serving. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was nearly 16 pounds in 2021. Watermelon consumption in the United States was nearly5.6 billion pounds in 2021. The United States exported an additional 375 million pounds of watermelon. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.
