Stemilt Shares Key Apple Varieties to Drive Retail During Inflation; Brianna Shales and Jocelyn Gerard Comment
WENATCHEE, WA - Apples hold a recurring spot in my refrigerator, and with warmer weather approaching, that spot will only get larger. Stemilt breaks down how consumers continue to return to the apple set time and time again over these past 12 weeks in its Fast Facts: The Cast—and how retailers can ensure traffic in the coming spring and summer months.
“One thing that was interesting is that apple prices are up 9.8 percent year over year in the month of March compared to 7 percent inflation for the total produce category,” Marketing Director Brianna Shales explained. “We’re outpacing the inflation in light of a shorter apple crop and the need for apple retails to keep up with rising production costs.”
Based on the final data of this year’s apple category from Nielsen between January 9 and April 22, apples made up 6 percent of total produce department sales—a percentage that is unchanged from last year at the same time. Apple dollars are now up 9.2 percent YOY and have increased 1.2 percent just over the previous 12-week period. Organic apples were nearly 12 percent of apple volumes sold during this time.
With inflation a hot topic, both Shales and Gerard sought to answer two questions: “How can we drive retail?” and “How do we help our consumers out during these times?”
“It’s definitely a unique season and unique time with the varieties,” said Jocelyn Gerard, Merchandising Manager. “We have certain varieties that we normally treat as staples that have been in tight supply in past years, but now have strong supplies that make them a promotion opportunity.”
The top apples by pound sold came to:
- Gala at 22 percent
- Honeycrisp at 18 percent
- Fuji at 12 percent
- Granny Smith at 10 percent
- Red Delicious at 9.6 percent
- Pink Lady® at 6.4 percent
For club varieties, Envy apples are coming out to 20 percent of club apple volumes sold, while Ambrosia is at 17.5 percent and Cosmic Crisp is at 13.4 percent.
“I’ve seen a lot of repeat multi-variety ads from different retailers across the country with 2 or 3 club apples that are available at a line price,” continued Gerard.
To learn more about these stats, click here for the release. Check out the full Fast Facts: The Cast here.
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