US-based grower-packer-shipper Stemilt has announced in a press statement the launch of a promotion on jumbo-sized apples to help retailers merchandise the larger-sized fruit, which includes apples sized 56 and larger.
The company claims the ‘Big Apple’ promotion will provide the ‘wow-factor’ that many shoppers expect to see in grocery stores during the holiday season.
According to Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl, near-perfect growing conditions during the spring and summer gave Stemilt an excellent manifest of large-sized apples for the 2009/10 season.
“It was a king bloom year, which typically equals larger fruit sizes,” Mr Pepperl said in the news release. “Combine that with the superior growing conditions our region had this year, and the result is premium-quality fruit with many apples in larger-than-normal size profiles.”
The Big Apple promotion is unique in the fact that it cannot be done every year. “It takes a special crop year to produce such large, high-quality apples,” added Mr Pepperl. “This is by far the biggest fruit I’ve seen in years. It will certainly help retailers call attention to apples during the holiday shopping rush.”
To merchandise jumbo apples in-store, Mr Pepperl recommends that retailers either substitute one or two regular varieties with a larger version for a month, or plan an in-and-out promotion on several jumbo varieties.
“Keeping jumbo fruit promotions close to a holiday is ideal,” he explained. “Apples of this size profile are not going to be picked up by consumers every week, but during the holiday season, larger fruit can be used to make a homemade pie, include in an attractive table setting or simply show-off to friends and family during a get-together.”
This season, Stemilt has several apple varieties available in jumbo size profiles, including: Red Delicious, Braeburn, Cameo, and Fuji. In addition, promotions can be planned around jumbo D’Anjou or Bartlett pears.
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