Fresh Food
Produce
healthy helpings
As a southern grocer, Harps also builds bountiful winter displays of regional berries. “We promote huge displays of ‘Fresh Florida Naturipe Berries’ at the front center of the store in January and February,” notes Roberts. The Florida strawberry season peaks in February and runs through April. Harps employs a combination of in-store signage and circulars to promote seasonal items. “When it comes to where we place seasonal items in the store and in the circular, we use what we call a ‘first-to-market strategy,’ ” he explains. “As new seasonal produce comes on board, we move it to the premier spot up front in the department and in the ad.”
With the soft Chilean fruits — cherries, strawberries and blueberries — it almost looks like summer in the produce department in January and February.” —Mike Roberts, Harps Food Stores Inc.
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With the new year comes a renewed interest in health and wellness. As shoppers seek to improve their diets and increase their fruit and vegetable intake, value-added and convenience items from the fresh produce department are what’s in season. “Sales of packaged salads and cut fruit increase for us in the first two weeks of January,” affirms Roberts. Football-themed veggie trays are also strong sellers. “Our hope is that everyone will be watching football and eating vegetables instead of pork rinds,” he enthuses. Harps has found tremendous success with multiple tray sales priced at three for $20. During the holidays, the grocer crosspromoted the trio of trays alongside items from the floral department, fruit baskets and more, with phenomenal results. “The sale ran three days and drove a ton of sales,” Roberts recalls. “Items in the promotion were up over 120 percent in sales versus items in the ad last year. It promoted healthier eating and created lots of excitement for the store.” A number of suppliers and industry organizations are introducing new promotions aimed at creating excitement and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in the new year. Mann Packing, in Salinas, Calif., recently launched its New Year, New You promotional campaign featuring an instant redeemable coupon (IRC) on its Veggie Slaw Blends, and new partnerships with registered dietitians across social media to reach 5 million followers in the United States and Canada. The IRC offers $1.50 off when consumers purchase any two specially marked packages of Mann’s Veggie Slaw Blends in stores from mid-January through early February. Also as part of the campaign, Mann’s products will be featured in TV segments focused on healthy eating, wellness magazines and social media channels throughout January. In an effort to drive mango sales during this health-focused time of year, the National Mango Board (NMB) kicked off its Mango Selfie program this month. The Q1 program seeks to connect with shoppers at retail by inviting them to capture their #mangoselfie on Instagram for the opportunity to win prizes.