Avocados are a hit at retail.
According to The Packer’s 2018 Fresh Trends, avocados ranked as the No. 1 item that shoppers said they bought in the past 12 months that they did not buy previously.
Further, 39% of consumers surveyed said had purchased avocados during the past 12 months.
At Weber’s Market in Sedona, Ariz., which recently was purchased by Aspen Colo.-based Clark’s Markets, store director David Miller said he’s not sure if there’s any such thing as saturation of the market when it comes to avocados.
“It seems like the more avocados we have, the more we sell,” he said. “It’s such a versatile item.”
The store features California avocados and Mexican avocados, depending on which are in season.
“Both are quality products,” he said.
Ralph’s Red Apple, Bremerton, Wash., merchandises avocados from California, Mexico and Peru, depending on time of year, said John Walker, produce manager.
He displays avocados on an end cap that has two bins — one with avocados and the other with specialty tomatoes in clamshell containers.
Behind them, he has a large display of tortilla chips and baskets with living basil and foil envelopes containing dry guacamole mix.
He also sells a “scooper tool” that shoppers can use to scoop out their avocado pulp.
The store tends to sell more avocados in winter than summer because many shoppers use the fruit to make guacamole during football season, Walker said.
Super Bowl is a major guacamole holiday for local customers.
“We always run (avocados) on ad and sell four to five times more than usual,” he said.
Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July and just about all holidays now are avocado holidays, he said.
In early March, Miller was merchandising medium-size avocados on an end cap at Weber’s Market, but he said avocados aren’t limited to the produce department.
“We’ll do displays throughout the store,” he said.
For example, he’ll place a basket of avocados in the meat or dairy department and in the chips aisle, especially on special occasions.
In the produce department, he cross-merchandises avocados will the ingredients for guacamole.
“It’s great to sell an avocado,” he said. “It’s better to sell the mixings for guacamole.”
He sometimes samples the store’s own guacamole, which is sold in 16-ounce containers.
The store also offers bagged avocados.
“We’ve had a lot of success with the net bags that have three or four avocados,” Miller said.
Most shoppers prefer to pick out their avocados, though.
He said bagged product accounts for only about 10% of sales.
“People want to be able to put their fingers on them and see how they feel,” he said.
Ralph’s Red Apple shoppers also like to pick out their own avocados, Walker said, so he doesn’t carry bagged avocados unless the warehouse has them on special.
The store features avocados on ad about once every three weeks, “unless the market is really high,” Walker said.
Sale price for size 60 avocados typically is 5 for $5 and $1.99 for large fruit, like size 32s.
The store also features organic avocados on ad from time to time for $1.99 for size 36-48.
Weber’s Market has avocados on ad at least once or twice a month, especially at peak times, like during the Super Bowl, “when everyone is making guacamole,” Miller said.
“We try to feature them as a competitive item” on special occasions, he said.
Ad prices vary from as low as 3 for $1 for small sizes to $1.99 for larger sizes.
Miller believes his customers have seen the media reports about the nutrition benefits of avocados.
“Everybody’s aware of how healthy avocados are,” he said. “I think that’s part of the reason why they’re so popular.”
