Shoppers celebrated 2017 fall and winter holidays with delicious avocado dishes, driving record-high retail dollar sales for the category. The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) recently released their Holiday and Events report for Q4 2017, detailing retail avocado category performance across the country for this past Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Halloween week was particularly notable with the overall category posting a four-year dollar sales high of $42 million, a +28 percent sales increase over the prior year. All regions exhibited strong growth rates for Halloween week, while per store dollar sales were strong in California ($893/store) and the West ($884/store).
“Hass avocados are recognized for their health and nutritional benefits by consumers, and sales during traditional holidays continue to outperform,” explains Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board. “Our Holiday and Events report indicates category sales growth for all holidays during the fourth quarter and across all regions of the U.S.”
In November, consumers added Hass avocados to their Thanksgiving celebrations, helping to drive retail volume to a four-year high (26 million units) and boosting dollar sales to more than $33 million for the week. This was a +10 percent dollar sales increase over the prior year. Across the nation, all regions exhibited growth, ranging from +5 percent in the Plains to +13 percent in California.
Consumers continued their celebrations with festive avocado dishes for the Christmas holiday. Nationally, Christmas dollar sales increased +15 percent over the prior year to nearly $38 million. Volume increased +6 percent, despite a +9 percent increase in average selling price, pushing dollar sales to new heights for the Christmas week. On average, avocado retailers saw sales of $403 per store during the week of Christmas, up +15% from the prior year.
With one last holiday celebration for the year, consumers found delicious ways to ring in the New Year with avocados. Retail sales for this holiday week increased +12 percent over the prior year, delivering record dollar sales of nearly $41 million. Dollar sales increased across all regions, most notably up +18 percent in South Central and up +16 percent in the Southeast. Per store dollar sales were very strong in California ($865/store) and the West ($841/store).
To get more in-depth information about avocado sales for each holiday, visit https://www.hassavocadoboard.com/retail/holidays-events.
For more information:
Jill Netzel
Tel: +1 (818) 718-8084 ext. 212