Cosmic Crisp sales trending strong
Cosmic Crisp apples have been rocketing up the retail sales charts so far this apple season, according to new retail scan statistics.
The Cosmic Crisp brand apple, grown in Washington, has shown the largest sales gains among the top 40 selling apple varieties in the U.S., according to a news release. A review of Nielsen sales data released by Proprietary Variety Management shows Cosmic Crisp sales vaulting the variety into the top 10 bestselling U.S. varieties for the first time, the release said.
The PVM review spans the calendar period from September 2022 through January 2023, the release said.
During that period, Cosmic Crisp sales jumped nationally by 163% with volume increasing by 174%. Cosmic Crisp sales gains generated the highest growth rate among the top 40 bestselling varieties in all four U.S. regions, according to the release.
“The sales data shows that both the retail community and consumers nationally are discovering Cosmic Crisp and this incredible branded apple is driving category performance,” Kathryn Grandy, chief marketing officer for PVM, said in the release. “The fact that Cosmic Crisp has jumped into the top 10 bestselling varieties in just three years is a remarkable level of success and proves the rapidly growing consumer demand for this apple.
The Cosmic Crisp has seen a volume gain of 174% all while selling at a retail price second only to Honeycrisp among the top 10 varieties, Grandy said in the release.
“Strong volume gains with above average retail prices is a winning strategy for both retailers and our growers,” she added.
PVM also noted that Cosmic Crisp sales and volume gains during the period were strong in all regions of the U.S.
In the West, Cosmic Crisp sales gains moved the variety up to the No. 8 bestselling variety. Cosmic Crisp sales at retail were No. 10 in the South, No. 11 in the Midwest and No. 14 in the Northeast.
“It’s not surprising Cosmic Crisp sales are strongest in the Western and South since that is where the variety had the earliest, broadest retail distribution,” Grandy said in the release. “We’re now also seeing very strong growth in the Midwest and especially in the Northeast — gaining 226% — as more retailers in those markets put Cosmic Crisp on the shelf and in their promotion plans.”
Grandy said in the release that the strong sales and volume gains for Cosmic Crisp came despite comparatively low promotional support in supermarkets.
“The Nielsen data shows that for the apple category about 33% of all retail sales are associated with retail price promotions,” she said in the release. “During this period only 25% of Cosmic Crisp sales were linked to retail price discounts. It’s astonishing that Cosmic Crisp generated category-leading sales while getting about half the level of supermarket price promotions.”
Supermarket produce executives will be seeing strong sales gains in 2023 and beyond, Grandy predicted.
“Cosmic Crisp production this year was up 28% and the quality in storage is outstanding," she said in the release. "Retailers across the U.S. are making Cosmic Crisp a staple in their apple category sales and promotional plans. There is no doubt that Cosmic Crisp apples are going to continue to be the brightest star in driving apple category growth."
