Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers, a packer, grower and distributor of tree fruit, shared its latest apple data in its latest bulletin.
Brianna Shales, marketing director, said the data looks at category performance from Nov. 30 to Dec. 30 of 2023.
“The volume of apples selling is now above last year’s, but only by 0.34%,” she said in the update. “We’re actually selling the same amount of apples as last year, but sales are down 7% because the retail price was $1.99 on average last year in December, and it is $1.85 now. We’re heading in the right direction when it comes to selling more apples, but there’s still room for promotion to help close the gap retailers are feeling from their dollars being down last year.”
Retailers have adjusted strategies since the start of the season but will need to increase multi-variety promotions to help bring up sales volumes, Shales said in a news release. Stemilt estimated that Honeycrisp made up 28% of apple sales in December and 23% of total apple volume.
Shales said promotions with varieties such as fuji, Cosmic Crisp and Honeycrisp can help lift the category, adding that organic apple promotions will also help grow apple sales volumes this season.
“In December, organic apple volumes were up 11.8% over last year and dollars up 3.8%,” Shales said. “This better matches the increased organic crop and shows that retailers are responding to promotion opportunities on organics. There is a lot of opportunity to grow organic apple consumption with lower retail pricing available this season.”
Shales said Stemilt’s Artisan Organics EZ Band and Lil Snappers 3-pound bags or 5-pound Artisan Organics pouch bag also help promote organic options.
Stemilt said the West is the only region where sales volumes increased over last year, up 1.4% year over year.
“It’s the year to get creative with promotions and certainly avoid being shy with trialing new methods,” Shales said. “It’s the new year and consumers are looking for healthy eating options and opportunities to add fruit into recipes for the big game, and Valentine’s Day treats. Through frequent promotion, we can help close the gap between volume and dollars.”
