No reason to boo these Halloween avocado sales

Avocado sales were downright spooky last fall, when the week of Halloween posted a 4-year high of $42 million, a 28% increase over the previous year.

In all, fall/winter holidays — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s — posted record dollar sales, according to the Hass Avocado Board’s 4th quarter 2017 Holiday and Events report.

The board credits avocado dishes for Thanksgiving meals for another 4-year high, hitting $33 million in sales for that week in late November, a 10% climb in sales.

Christmas sales increased 15%, to almost $38 million (with a 6% increase in volume despite a 9% increase in average price), and New Year’s sales were up 12%, to almost $41 million.

“Hass avocados are recognized for their health and nutritional benefits by consumers, and sales during traditional holidays continue to outperform,” Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board, said in a news release about the report.

Escobedo said sales across all U.S. regions showed growth in the fourth quarter.

The top-performing event and holiday for avocado sales and volume are the Super Bowl and Cinco de Mayo.

For more information, see the Hass Avocado Board’s website: https://www.hassavocadoboard.com/retail/holidays-events.