Pear Bureau Northwest:
Wegmans named pear retailer of the year
Along with offering all 10 varieties of pears during the year, Wegmans also implements several proven merchandising strategies to improve their sales and volume over the prior year. Maintaining strong sales requires implementation of a complete program throughout the season, and according to Kevin D. Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, Wegmans successfully offered their shoppers what they wanted.
(Left to right) Steve O’Malley, Wegmans Produce and Floral Group Manager, Charlie Gardner, Wegmans Pear Produce Category Merchant, Bob Koehler, Regional Marketing Manager, PBNW, and Dave Corsi, Wegmans VP Produce and Floral Operations.
“Wegmans displays conditioned pears that are ready to eat in a few days instead of ready in a week,” stated Moffitt. “Recent consumer research shows that over half of all pear consumers will eat their pear within the first two days of purchase. And, we know that ripe pears can outsell unripe pears by as much as 19.5%* at retail. The research supports this choice by Wegmans and contributed to their exceptional performance.”
Moffitt also shares more pear category best practices that Wegmans utilized including carrying two green pears, like Bartlett and Anjou all season, providing the choice of two sizes of bagged pears for busy shoppers, adding secondary pear displays to increase visibility and impulse purchases, and promoting recipes and pairing ideas when sampling pears. “The practices implemented by Wegmans continue to put them at the top of the pear category performance, and we are proud to recognize their outstanding efforts.”
For more information:
Kathy Stephenson
Pear Bureau Northwest
Tel: +1 503.652.9720
Fax: +1 503.652.9721
Email: kstephenson@usapears.com
www.usapears.com