Avocados are appearing more often on menus when family and friends gather for holiday celebrations. The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) recently released a study that shows the growing popularity of avocados as measured by retail sales trends during thirteen key holidays and events. Overall in 2016, shoppers purchased +10% more avocados than in the prior year, with nearly 1.9 billion avocados sold at retailers across the country. Holidays have historically been a large contributor to annual sales, and 2016 was no exception. The thirteen holiday and event weeks tracked in the study contributed 502 million avocados (27%) to annual volume, up +11% vs prior year.
54 million units for the Big Game
Consumers are showing increasing interest in serving avocado dishes during the holidays, and retailers are reaping the benefits. Retail sales grew for twelve of thirteen holiday weeks in 2016. The Big Game continues to be a popular avocado eating occasion, turning into the top holiday volume week at +54MM units (+16% vs 2015). The Big Game was also the second highest holiday dollar week, behind Independence Day, which ranked number one in holiday dollar sales, at $44.9MM. Valentine’s Day is growing in popularity with avocado shoppers, surpassing 2015 volume by +29%.
“This study showcases the importance of these holidays and events to the avocado category,” says Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. “It is our goal to provide the industry with actionable insights into the avocado category, and the Holiday and Events study is a valuable source for seasonal sales information.”
Avocado volume in Northeast highest for Cinco de Mayo
In addition to the national trends, the report also details holiday and event performance for eight geographic regions. Nearly all holidays and events performed well in each region. The Big Game was the star volume sales event in all regions, except the Northeast, where Cinco de Mayo ranked first in holiday volume.