The National Mango Board (NMB) named ShopRite as the 2018 Mango Retailer of the Year. The award was announced during the NMB’s Annual Mango Industry Reception on October 19, 2018 during PMA’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo in Orlando, FL. Present at the ceremony were award recipients Perno W. Young III, Category Manager at Wakefern Food Corporation; Derrick S. Jenkins, Vice President of Produce/Floral at Wakefern Food Corporation; mango industry leaders, including many of ShopRite’s suppliers; and several NMB board members.
The Mango Retailer of the Year award recognizes retailers that go above and beyond to offer strong consistent support to the mango industry and deliver outstanding mango promotion results. ShopRite was selected from over 100 retailers that partner with the NMB across the U.S. The NMB said that for many years, this Mid-Atlantic retailer has raised the bar by aggressively promoting mangoes thorough all channels including ads, expanded displays and social media.
Throughout the years, ShopRite has strived for mango promotions 12 months of the year, creating timely seasonal opportunities for mangoes. They often incorporate multiple varieties of mangoes in their promotions, fresh-cut and case sales. They present the mango message through their supermarket dietitian program, promoting mangoes through demos, blogs, and ongoing nutritional information. The company says these marketing efforts result in consistently achieving one of the highest volumes of mangoes per store per week in the country - about 700 mangoes per store per week.
Left to right: Perno W. Young III and Derrick S. Jenkins from Wakefern Food Corporation
In addition, back in 2014 Wakefern Food Corp took a leap and bet on ripe mangoes as the right thing to do for their customers. They received training by the NMB’s ripening consultant and have been providing ripe mangoes for nearly five years.
“Being named the 2018 Mango Retailer of the Year is not only an honor, but a testament to the hard work that everyone in our organization has given to ensure that our customers’ needs are met,” stated Perno W. Young III, Category Manager at Wakefern Food Corp. “The mango category has grown exponentially in sales as the communities that we serve have become more diverse.”
“This Northeast retailer’s commitment to driving mango volume with a fully integrated retail marketing approach 12 months out of the year not only delivered exceptional results but gave us even greater confidence in our vision for mangoes to move from exotic to a daily necessity in the U.S.,” stated Valda Coryat, Director of Marketing at the NMB. “This sends a clear message – mangoes are an integral part of a healthy, flavor-filled diet for all seasons and all eating occasions. We look forward to our continued work with Perno and the ShopRite team, as well as all our retail partners in helping them achieve mango success.”
For more information:
Angela Serna
National Mango Board
Tel: +1 (407) 629-7318 ext. 113
aserna@mango.org
www.mango.org