Q&A with Sprouts’ Andrew McGregor
The vice president of sales and merchandising, produce and floral shares his take on how Sprouts Farmers Market has continued to drive customer engagement and excitement through its focus on farm-fresh produce and other healthful, affordable items, for more than two decades.
The in-store experience is everything. How does Sprouts continue to drive fresh produce sales through department design and merchandising or display elements that give produce a higher profile?
Andrew McGregor: As we work hard to deliver some of the freshest and best-eating local and seasonal produce, we’ve invested in more refrigerated displays throughout our department to better ensure we’re carefully managing the cold chain on some of the most temperature-sensitive items like berries, grapes or cherries.
Additionally, we recently reset our tables with shingled box displays that provide a much better opportunity to effectively expand our assortment of unique seasonal products that really differentiate our farmers market format, giving customers an opportunity to experience some of the coolest and best-eating items that we’re working so hard to source.
Lastly, we’re continuing to expand our offerings and displays of local and organically grown products. We’re investing more and more space to the categories that are part of the heart of what we do well and that our customers want and expect us to deliver.
Are you attending The Packer's Global Organic Produce Expo?
As the only globally driven show for organic produce, this show creates a forum for unique and specific opportunities. Network, exchange ideas, source new products and services, and do business with the industry’s leading growers, distributors, packer and retailers.
Click here to learn more.
What role does cross-merchandising play in Sprouts’ produce success story?
Over the last year, we’ve been collaborating a stronger level with departments across our store to help bring some of the best seasonal products and categories to forefront of our store merchandising. Since fresh produce remains close to the heart of what we do, this is the focal point of these merchandising moments that are well complemented with thematic and flavorful tie-ins from other areas of the store that really bring the display and the event to life.
Recent examples have included a large and impactful display of freshly harvested apples at the very front of the store tied in with ciders, mulling spices, apple pies and a variety of other great-eating products that our store teams want to share with our guests.
These creative events have really helped us rally our store teams around the categories that we care the most about in produce, and they definitely create the type of theater and differentiation that drives customer engagement and excitement in products and in the season.
We’ve been particularly excited to re-introduce active selling and sampling into our store programs. There’s no better way to sincerely engage a customer at the point of decision making than by getting some of these amazing products into their mouths.
It’s also a fantastic opportunity for our store teams to chat about product attributes, recipe ideas or even share storage or prepping ideas that all build on the experience that makes the in-store shopping experience well worth our customers’ investment and time.
Consumers are increasingly more adventurous in their tastes and willingness to try new products. How important are new products in produce?
Bringing new fresh products to the customer has always been a big part of our farmers market concept — particularly in produce.
We’re continuing to invest serious resources and time to partner with our supply partners to bring their new varieties and most unique offerings to the customer, as it’s very clear that our guests are excited to explore culinary opportunities or lean into healthier eating trends.
Some examples of test items from the past that resonated really well and have become a staple offering in many of our markets include Cotton Candy Grapes (quite a while ago), yellow flesh dragon fruit, Lemon Drop melons, seedless lemons [and more].
