Hass avocado sales for Father’s Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day saw bumps in dollar sales this year, and while volume lagged at times, price increases more than made up for retail shortfalls.
According to the Hass Avocado Board’s third-quarter Holiday & Events report, national average prices for an avocado rose 23% during the week of Father’s Day and 40% the week of the Fourth of July — when California shoppers saw a 63% increase from the previous year, at $1.69 for an avocado.
Father’s Day
Father’s Day sales rose 7% to $56.2 million, according to the report, although volumes declined 13%, to 41.6 million avocados. Sales for that period have grown 35% since 2016.
Other numbers for Father’s Day include:
- The highest average year-to-year price spike was in California, at 32%, to $1.53 for each fruit;
- Although California’s per-fruit average price was the highest of any region, volumes sold dropped the least, at 8%;
- California and the Western region posted the highest dollar gains in 2019 at +22% and +14%, respectively; and
- On average, avocado retailers saw Father’s Day week sales of $589 per store.
Fourth of July
Fourth of July dollar sales have increased the past four years, up 38% since 2016, and 16% over last Fourth of July, according to the report, at $62.1 million. This year’s volume for the holiday, which dropped in all regions, was down 17% from 2018, to 42 million units.
Other Fourth of July facts from the HAB report include:
- Regional sales in dollars rose just 3% in the Northeast, but 25% in California and the Great Lakes regions;
- Average prices rose in all eight regions, from 23% in the Northeast to 63% in California; and
- Retailers saw sales of $650 per store for the holiday week
Labor Day
Volumes of hass avocados sold for the Labor Day weekend bucked the downward trend of the two other holidays as prices decreased. Dollar sales were up 6%, to almost $54 million, and volumes were up 12% from 2018, to almost 43 million units, according to the HAB.
The national average price for an avocado for the holiday dropped 5% from 2018, to $1.25; in California, it was $1.47, a 22-cent drop from the Fourth of July and 3% from 2018.
Other information about Labor Day avocado sales includes:
- Seven of eight regions showed dollar growth, led by Northeast at +12%
- Average prices by region were mixed, from a 22% drop in the Southeast to an increase of 10% in the Plains region; and
- Dollar sales were up 27% in 2019 compared to 2016.
The report, which uses data from IRI/Freshlook, is free online (registration required).
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