Line Rønnow, Category Buyer at Danish retailer Dansk
"Convinced that whole berry sector will grow"
retailer Dansk, believes the potential of berries has a lot to do with current
consumer’s trends related to health. Together with Claudia Zwart-Hopman,
Category Development Manager at Driscoll’s, she looks into the question: Why are berries booming?
What makes the berry category exciting?
Line Rønnow: “In the past years the berry category has become very popular in Denmark, as consumers are focussing more on nutritious and easy to prepare meals. Berries are even in our top 5 of largest product categories: they are convenient, easy to combine with a lot of other products and are very healthy. We like to call them: ‘our candy of the fresh produce department’. Claudia Zwart-Hopman, Category Development Manager at Driscoll’s, continues: “If you look at the US, you can see what the potential is. Consumers know about the benefits of berries which explains their popularity within the fresh produce department. Berries are there the largest category in store, even larger than apples. This is very promising and shows
us that there are still a lot of opportunities for the European market.”
How to convince shoppers to buy more berries?
Rønnow believes that the key to a successful category is quality. “Through delivering high quality, in a consistent way, consumers will know that they can buy the products in our stores without worries. In the past years we invested a lot in berry coolers, even in our discount stores, so we can extend the shelf life of berries. We are also working on the in-store presentation of the category by using nice merchandising materials to make sure shoppers will not miss the berry section.” Claudia Zwart-Hopman: “Berries are not something you put on your shopping list; however it is a very tempting product. Therefore retailers can easily anticipate impulse purchases on the shop floor. With our knowledge of the shopper we think along with our customers. We offer them tailor-made advice and support. In addition to this we make the growth of the berry category measurable, so retailers will know where their chances are best.”
What are proven successes on the shop floor?
Line Rønnow: “Through our special campaigns in store, more and more consumers are asking for berries. In the last weeks of December we promoted strawberries together with champagne. This cross selling idea was a big success! Even weeks after the promotion, our strawberry sales were increasing.” Claudia Zwart-Hopman adds that also the right placement of a cooler can make a big difference. “Present the berry cooler at the beginning of the fresh produce department, this way consumers cannot ignore the products and are more willing to buy.”
What does the future of berries look like?
“I am sure the entire berry category will continue to grow. Furthermore I also expect a lot of blackberries, as they are now relatively small in turnover but have a lot of potential for the future”, says Rønnow. Zwart-Hopman considers berries to be a very purposeful product: “I believe that our delicious and healthy berries could make the world a little bit better.”
For more information:
Driscoll's of Europe
Tel +31 76 513 7000
www.driscolls.eu