Zespri’s account managers will be at booth 621 to meet with retailers during the SEPC Southern Exposure trade show in Orlando, Florida March 2-4, 2023. The booth will showcase Zespri’s new merchandising displays with updated graphics highlighting this year’s Taste the Obsession marketing campaign. Taste the Obsession showcases the brand’s passionate commitment to sharing high quality, refreshingly sweet kiwifruit to ignite the good in consumers’ days.
“Our campaign tells our bold, brand story of the passion and care that goes into growing our kiwifruit in an unexpected, playful way,” explains Jeanne Wilson, Zespri’s Head of Marketing for North America. “We’re excited to build upon our growing category success as we collaborate with retailers nationwide to develop customized programs and build impactful displays for our Zespri SunGoldTM and Green Kiwifruit.”
Kiwi is on trend and is driving category growth. Kiwifruit ranks as the #1 fastest-growing segment in the fruit bowl, outpacing total fruit by 11 points, according to research from IRI. Category sales have reached $265 million over the past year, which is a growth of +14% over a year ago. IRI also confirms that Zespri remains the #1 kiwi brand with 52 percent share of the category. Zespri’s proprietary SunGold Kiwifruit is driving the category growth accounting for +48 percent of total kiwifruit category with total sales growing over +$90 million over the past year.
“The SEPC trade show is an ideal opportunity for retailers to meet with Zespri’s team to start planning for the season before our fruit ships in May,” states Wilson. “Shoppers are unique so one program doesn’t work across all regions. We are available to customize programs designed for each retailer’s specific shopper needs. We are excited to help retailers grow their sales by using our marketing resources, displays, and knowledge of merchandising and promoting kiwifruit that is the most profitable for them.”
The synergy between Zespri’s marketing efforts and in-store placement will help drive retail sales. “The bold, attention-grabbing graphics on the display tie into the consumer campaign, which will be cohesive across all marketing channels,” explains Wilson. “Zespri Kiwifruit is a high growth, everyday item now, and it sells best when it is prominently displayed because it adds incremental sales to the produce department. It is no longer viewed as an exotic fruit. Shoppers can’t get enough of this nutritious and deliciously sweet fruit.” Retailers saw a 92 percent lift in sales average when a display was paired with a TPR. For even more sales, retailers are encouraged to move Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit adjacent to berries. This could result in a +64 percent total fresh fruit sales uplift driven by higher basket spend, based on a 3rd party merchandising study. Moving kiwis next to berries does not negatively impact berry sales; it drives total department sales.
Stop by booth 621 to see the new merchandising displays and meet the team.
Contact:
Jill Netzel
Tel: (818) 718-8084
jnetzel@gowithfusion.com