Washington apples: year round promotional opportunities

The record 2014/2015 Washington apple crop is currently forecast at over 140 million boxes of fruit. This vintage crop will give good quality, sizing, and aggressive promotional opportunities benefiting retailers and consumers alike. Domex is looking forward to what 2015 will bring and Superfresh Growers’ sees excellent opportunities to promote Washington apples throughout the spring and summer months. Most of the varieties like Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious will be available through the summer months. With ample supplies of all major varieties from Washington State, retailers will have the ability to offer US-grown apples to their customers for the entire year.

Apples are the perfect fruit to promote year ‘round as they contribute approximately 12%* of the entire produce department’s dollar sales. The top 5 apple varieties of Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp and Granny Smith represent almost 75% of the entire apple category.

“Gala Apples are the #1 apple in both dollar and volume sales in the United States,” declared Howard Nager, Vice President of Marketing Domex Superfresh Growers. “Nielsen data shows that Galas represent almost 25% of apple dollars sales and 27% of the apple volume sales.”

With the quality and consumer preference for Washington apples, it is critical for retailers to capture sales with continued and frequent promotional efforts in-store and online throughout the summer months. “Social media has been very successful in helping us educate and inspire consumers on the benefits of increased apple consumption,” stated Nager. “We encourage retailers to view and share our consumer oriented content available on our blog at www.SuperfreshGrowers.com.”

The Superfresh blog contains educational content about Washington apple varieties and inspirational promotions focused on the health benefits of increased apple consumption. Some of the most popular Superfresh blog posts include; Washington Apple Variety Guide, Supercharge Your New Year’s Resolutions With 2 Apples Per Day, Easy Apple Chips: Your DIY Guide to Drying Fruit, Everything You Need to Know About Gala Apples, and Apples Help Boost Brain Power.

For more information:
Howard Nager
Superfresh Growers
Email: hnager@superfreshgrowers.com.

*Nielsen Data 52 weeks ending 8/24/14