WENATCHEE, WA - Though the winter months typically see pear sales slightly less strong than the fall, CMI Orchards’ Vice President of Marketing Steve Lutz has some advice for retailers looking to boost pear sales this winter.

The key for retailers wanting to maintain pear category performance, according to Lutz, is to pivot quickly to winter pear varieties while leveraging the emerging opportunities in new pear packaging.

“We’re entering the months where retailers can really drive incremental consumer purchases of winter pears, especially if they leverage the smaller, high-quality, two-pound pouches. Last year we saw Best in Class retailers driving up to 25% of their total Anjou sales in these smaller pouch bags,” Lutz said, in a company press release.

During the winter, a significant shift in pear varieties and packaging occurs as retailers transition from focusing primarily on Bartlett pears to selling winter varieties.

“Winter marks the major category transition from Bartlett’s to Anjou and Bosc,” said Lutz. “National retail performance data reveals that while pear category dollars decline only slightly (- 7%) between Q4 and Q1, Bartlett sales drop by nearly 50% while Anjou dollars soar by 83%. Getting this product transition right in terms of displays and packaging is the key for supermarkets to maintain pear category performance.”

Lutz remarked the emergence of new pear packaging as a factor in changing how retailers build pear displays and drive overall category growth. Over the past few years, retailers have discovered that high graphic two-pound pear pouch bags drive sales—in fact, Lutz noted, they have been among the fastest growing segments in the pear category.

“When we look at Best in Class pear retailers in the United States, two trends jump out,” said Lutz. “The Best in Class retailers are growing their pear category much faster than competitors. Secondly, they dominate by merchandising two-pound pouch bags without damaging sales in the profitable bulk pear segment. These top retailers sell more bulk pears to drive category dollars but shift consumers away from larger value bags into higher priced two-pound pouches.”

For more strategies to improve category sales, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

CMI Orchards