Ambrosia™ in top 10 apples

Pushed by national promotions and a 25% increase in distribution, Ambrosia™ apples are riding a retail wave all the way to the cash register. Over the past 13 weeks, a record 14,022 supermarkets put Ambrosia™ on the shelves for consumers. The result: During this period, Nielsen data shows Ambrosia™ ranked #9 in total dollars among all apple varieties and had the strongest growth of any apple in the top 10 nationally.

“Ambrosia has broken into a new level,” said Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. “The biggest challenge for any club variety apple is to make the jump from being a niche item to a year-round item. The sales data show that Ambrosia™ have bridged the gap to becoming a ‘must have’ apple for retailers.”

With a large national crop, apple prices and retail shelf prices have been lower throughout the entire 2014/15 season. Over the most recent 13-week period from November through January, Nielsen scan data shows that total U.S. apple dollars increased less than 1% while volume increased only slightly by 2.3%. In contrast, during this same period Ambrosia™ apple sales skyrocketed and dollars jumped 19%. The increase in Ambrosia™ sales led performance of the top 10 apple varieties during the period. Honeycrisp dollars increased by 15% followed by Pink Lady (+7%) and Granny Smith (+2%). All other apple varieties in the top 10 declined in year over year sales during the period.

“It’s just really gratifying to see consumers and retailers alike discover Ambrosia, “ said Lutz. “The sales success speaks for itself.”

Total U.S. Dollar Performance—Top 10 Apples

Source: Nielsen FreshFacts, 13 weeks November 2014 to January 2015 versus same period last year

For more information:
Katharine Grove
CMI Apples
katharineg@cmiapples.com
www.cmiapples.com