Australian pears retail training in Thailand drives sales
Claire writes about her trip.
A key highlight for this visit was running retail training sessions on Australian pears at three supermarket chains in Thailand. I became aware on previous visits to the market that Thai consumers are not overly familiar with Western style pears and that store managers wanted more information on how to handle pears and promote them to their customers.
Australia’s main southern hemisphere competitor in pear production, South Africa, does not currently have market access to Thailand. This presents a great opportunity for Australian pear growers. However, we must act quickly and show commitment and reliability to the Thai market.
We delivered our training sessions to over 60 store and fresh produce managers in three very different retail chains:
Makro – a cash and carry hypermarket chain with stores throughout Thailand.
Rimping – a high-end premium supermarket chain with nine stores in northern Thailand (Chiang Mai) with 50% local Thai customers and 50% expatriates.
Foodland – a high-end supermarket chain with 14 stores in the broader Bangkok area. Foodland is family owned and is celebrating their 40th year in operation.
Thai staff at Makro have requested APAL run more training sessions next year
to help them drive more sales of Australian pears.
The training included a presentation on:
The importance of keeping pears cold before display to ensure longevity.
Careful handling to avoid bruising.
How to eat (crunchy vs ripe).
Health and nutrition attributes of pears.
Opportunities for in-store promotion and consumer education.
Prior to our visit we made a short video on the Australian pear industry specifically for this audience, which gave background on our industry and the fruit. The video was subtitled in Thai and was a useful tool to engage the buyers at the training sessions. An English version is now available on the APAL website.
The interactive training sessions provided a great opportunity for retail staff to ask questions directly to growers. Questions included:
Can you explain the difference between the marks on the skin (ie limb rub vs russet vs small rots) and which ones are ok to eat?
What is the average brix for pears and do they get sweeter as they ripen?
Are particular varieties sweeter than others?
What is the best season for importing Australian pears?
Is larger fruit as sweet as smaller fruit?
Samples of different varieties were given including Packham, Josephine and Corella (Beurre Bosc was unavailable but there was strong interest in Bosc for next season). Corella was particularly popular for its flavour and appearance, although we explained that these are only available in limited quantities and at a higher price point than other varieties.
APAL has produced a video to share best practices of Australian pear production and storage with Asian retailers (English version – no subtitles).
At one store in Thailand we saw some (illegal) South African pears. The quality of the Corella pears was excellent and they retailed for 219THB (A$7.40) per kg. The South African Packham pears were not comparable to the quality of Australian pears; they were lumpy, pale and lacked flavour.
Makro purchased Australian pears this year after their main buyer came to Victoria on the APAL Pink Lady™ importer tour in April. Makro sells good quality fruit in loose and bulk packs at slim margins; they are a volume player rather than a niche high-end supermarket. New Zealand Pink Lady apples were being sold in 18kg boxes direct to the customer at $49 per box, and Pacific Rose at $59 per box.
Pears from Victoria were being sold loose at a competitive price to drive consumer interest. As a direct result of our training session in Makro, the fresh produce manager in one store managed to sell 100kg of Australian pears the following day which he was very happy with! Explaining some simple facts to customers can really help retailers drive sales. It was interesting to see that customers weren’t just buying a couple of pieces, they were buying at least a kilogram at a time.
Running these training sessions proved to be a very positive experience. We were able to build relationships direct with the buyers, as well as help educate staff about what makes Australian pears a great choice for their customers and how to drive more value out of this often-forgotten category. At the end of each training session the staff requested we run more sessions next year with additional detail around flavour and technical information so they can help drive more sales.
Staff from Rimpling supermarket in Thailand learnt about how to keep Australian pears fresh.
Importantly, our training sessions demonstrated Australia’s commitment to the market. At each session the staff commented that few other industries make the effort to come and talk to them about new products and give them the information they need to help drive sales. All agreed that for sales of Australian pears to grow there must be a partnership between industry (growers, exporters and APAL) and retailers. It will be difficult to achieve more success without some simple support programs in place, such as in-store tastings and point of sale material.
Realistically, our industry should be able to supply an additional 30 containers into Thailand next season. It is critical that growers work with the retail buyers and importers on developing a programmed supply with a focus on seasonal varieties. Quality is of course key. We must build Australia’s reputation as a supplier of choice before South Africa regains access to the market. Industry is already working collaboratively to supply enough fruit of the right specification to each customer in the market. I encourage growers to work together so we can keep up the good work we have started this season!
For more information:
Claire Fitchett
Market Development Manager, APAL
Tel: +61 3 9329 3511
Email: cfitchett@apal.org.au
apal.org.au