The latest edition of the United Fresh Foundation’s quarterly retail research report has shown some promising news, with results showing that US produce department performance in the second quarter of 2010 was similar to the first quarter of 2010, with price changes varying, but dollar and volume sales growing in many categories.
According to the association’s FreshFacts on Retail report, it is clear that “… fresh produce remains a high priority for many consumers, since many purchased more produce regardless of price.
“Onions, for example, increased a dramatic 41.9 per cent in average retail price, but did not hinder volume as it grew 0.6 per cent,” the report said.
A similar trend occurred in citrus, where price increased 16 per cent, but volume still grew 2.7 per cent.
Even more promising, United Fresh said average prices for value-added fruit and vegetables increased by 1.6 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively, and both maintained volume growth.
FreshFacts on Retail (produced in partnership with the Perishables Group and sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce) measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities, as well as value-added, organic and other produce categories.
Highlights of this quarter’s report include:
• A 6.6 per cent increase in average vegetable dollars and a 4.0 per cent increase for fruit.
• Five of the top 10 fruit categories and seven of the top 10 vegetables experienced dollar growth.
• An increase in dollars and volume for every value-added vegetable category and an increase in overall value-added fruit dollar and volume sales by 10.8 per cent and 9.1 per cent respectively.
• Increases of 7.9 per cent in sales and 10.9 per cent in volume for organic fruits overall.
In addition, United Fresh said this edition features a Quarterly Spotlight on how to measure the performance of retail promotions in produce, including how to measure their effectiveness.
This quarter’s spotlight shows the produce department sold 27 per cent of all volume while on promotion, with 57.6 per cent of all fruit promotions being efficient (above expected sales) and 47.3 per cent efficiency for vegetable promotions.
The complete FreshFacts on Retail report can be downloaded here free of charge to all United Fresh members (US$50 for non-members).
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