Stemilt released its latest Fruit Tracker™ Fast Facts video. The quick video provides the company’s analysis of Nielsen retail scan data from October 2016, and shows both apple volume and dollars up considerably over the same timeframe in 2015.
“October was a great month for apples,” said Brianna Shales, Stemilt’s communications manager. “Retailers sold 4.5% more pounds of apples on average than the year prior, and for more money, with a 5% increase in dollars of apples sold.”
SweeTango® was the clear #1 club apple variety in the month of October, selling 10 more pounds on average than in 2015 and an impressive 25.8% increase in dollars. The top five apple varieties were: Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious. This was mostly unchanged from September 2016, with the exception of Granny Smith moving ahead of Red Delicious after the famously green variety was harvested. Not surprisingly, Honeycrisp had the highest average retail among all apples at a whopping $2.40 per pound.
“SweeTango® movement was very strong this season. The flavor profile of SweeTango® is unlike any other and it continues to win more shoppers over each year, as well as becoming an apple that consumers are seeking out every fall,” said Shales.
The apple category was 7.7% of total produce department sales in October 2016, which was more than a tenth of a percent higher than in 2015. Bulk apple sales accounted for 70.5% of the category while bags made up the remaining 29.5%. The average retail price for apples was $1.57 per pound.
Contact:
Brianna Shales
Stemilt Growers