When it comes to the “Big Game,” it really is super for avocado sales.
The Hass Avocado Board’s analysis of first-quarter holidays/events shows that for the week preceding the Feb. 4th game, sales hit $58.4 million, the highest in four years. That’s 15% more than the previous year’s game sales, with an increase in volume of 9% and a slight increase in average prices, according to the HAB.
The Super Bowl and Cinco de Mayo are events that spur avocado consumption. Cinco de Mayo sales will be detailed in the HAB’s next quarterly holiday report, but the HAB reported sales in the week leading up to the 2017 May holiday hit more than $54 million, with a 32% average increase prices from all U.S. regions.
The board reported that 2018’s Super Bowl game week sales:
- Exhibited strong growth in all geographic regions of the U.S., ranging from a volume increase of 9% in the Plains region to 18% in the Northeast;
- Averaged $624 at each retail location across the U.S.;
- Were especially strong for per-dollar sales in the West, at $1,219, with California at $1,136; and
- Rose an average of 6%, for an increase in overall sales of $7.7 million.
The HAB’s quarterly report also breaks down numbers for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, which both saw improvement from previous years.
The week leading up to Valentine’s Day saw retail sales hitting a four-year high of more than $45.4 million in sales and 45.3 million units sold, according to the report. That’s a 43% hike in dollar sales and 52% increase in units sold since 2015.
St. Patrick’s Day revelers were also going avocado green, with a 40% increase in volume to more than 44 million units, pushed by double-digit bumps in all eight U.S. regions.
The HAB attributes the spike in movement to lower prices, which caused volume to surge and pushed dollar sales to new heights, from $43.1 million to $47.5 million.
