Wholefoods

Fruit

With the five-a-day message resonating with many consumers, merchandising fruit in an attractive manner at the till can drive impulse purchases

Brand Central

20 June 2011

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Fruit

Most people want to be healthy and prefer to eat fresh food over pre-packed alternatives but it can be hard to find a good variety of produce in many stores. So much space is given over to impulse confectionery products yet in comparison fresh foods are generally not merchandised for the impulse buy. Changing the layout of this category could well increase sales by reminding consumers to eat healthily and making it easy for them to find. With the recent E.coli scare in Europe, many vegetables have been getting a bad rap but the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has assured us that none of the implicated produce has reached our shores. As the summer weather kicks in, your customers will be looking for more salad ingredients than at other times of the year and there are plenty of brands innovating in the bagged salads category. Make sure you are aware of any new entrants to the market.

Getting bagged up for BBQ season

Florette’s seven day use by date is industry-leading and is a key consideration for both retailers and consumers

With consumers’ appetites for BBQs whetted by the promise of warmer weather to come, retailers need to be ready to maximise sales opportunities. Salad is synonymous with the barbecue season and a staple item in the shopping basket of any barbecue host or hostess. For Florette, the summer prompts a significant uplift in sales, with a massive 50% of total year salads sold during the warmer months, so bagged salad is a product retailers can’t afford to overlook.

Part of Florette’s success is due to convenience, which is key when it comes to barbecuing – so bagged salads are ideal as they can be served straight from the fridge. And, importantly, this success is down to freshness – Florette’s seven day use by date is industry-leading – which is a key consideration for both retailers and consumers.

Florette helps retailers maximise consumers’ BBQ needs by offering a breadth of product to suit a range of tastes from the versatile Crispy and Mixed, to the tender and tasty new Duo range. And for 2011, Florette has invested in a high profile TV advertising campaign to further support the brand.

The Goodness Gang is hitting town

Forget looking in the local toyshop for this year’s ‘must have’ cuddly toys and turn your attention to the local supermarket because The Goodness Gang is here and they are already creating a stir.

Featuring five vegetable characters and five fruit characters, The Goodness Gang has instant appeal for children and adults alike and can be used in a wide range of retail promotions, while still reinforcing the serious underlying health messages.

“Fruit and vegetables have never been the easiest sell to children, or some adults for that matter. We believe The Goodness Gang will provide the perfect way to attract attention, encourage purchases and encourage repeat business,” says David Ringer general manager UK & Ireland for TCC.

CPM promotion leads to best selling products in Dunnes stores

CPM, Ireland’s leading field sales company, has teamed up with Keelings to promote its strawberries in Dunnes Stores and to build awareness of its recent special offer.

The campaign involved CPM staff building displays in 40 Dunnes Stores nationwide promoting Keeling’s strawberries book offer which consists of a free book of fruit for every two punnets of Keeling’s strawberries purchased.

In addition, CPM staff launched a strawberry sampling promotion in Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt and Blanchardstown for nine days over two weekends in May. This proved to be a great success and led to Keeling’s strawberries being one of the best selling products sold in Dunnes Stores in Cornelscourt and Blanchardstown over that period. It also presented a huge success in driving the sales of Keeling’s strawberries and Dunnes stores were delighted that CPM staff were on hand to meet and greet consumers and promote Keeling’s products.

Sopexa brings us fresh French Fayre

In Ireland Sopexa promotes a range of French food and drink products ranging from wines and fruit juices to fresh fruit, cheese and charcuterie. Irish senior account manager, Claire Coleman, explains that one of the highest profile campaigns undertaken in the Irish market each year is that for Le Crunch Apples. It is also one of the longest running promotional campaigns in the Irish grocery sector, now in its third decade. “Despite its longevity the Le Crunch promotion is attracting more entries amongst primary school children than ever,” explains Coleman.

Over 4,000 primary school students from 520 schools around Ireland made a poster or created a figurine of a sporty Le Crunch Bunch character using one of the six varieties of Le Crunch apples as well as other healthy foods. The children’s creations had to promote healthy eating, active lifestyles and nature.

A panel of judges selected three finalists in each category. Photos of their entries went on display in Dunnes Stores grocery outlets during March and the shopping public were invited to vote in-store for their favourites.

Their winning entries may be seen on www.ouitolecrunch.com.

Q&A with…

Nigel Cook, Florette business manager, Ireland

What do you believe to be at the core of your brand as a fresh supplier – what separates you as a supplier from the rest of the competition?

The Florette brand stands out from the competition because it can be relied on by retailer and consumer alike for product excellence, resulting in market leading shelf life and the guarantee of freshness, quality and taste.

This quality is ensured thanks to the choice and location of salad growers, our leaf specifications, farming processes, through to the selection of the leaves themselves – in other words from ‘field to fork’. We work closely with our farmers – significantly 95% of our farmers are contracted to us – so we can ensure they meet our exact leaf specifications and we choose our fields with great care so that our lettuces can enjoy the very best growing conditions.

You launched a number of fruit offerings last year, how has the reaction been?

We have had some success but as a brand there’s still a lot we want to do to maximise the opportunity that this category presents. In Ireland fruit has a lower penetration than in the UK and there are economic challenges to be mindful of as well, so as a brand it’s important we bring further innovation to the category and Florette has the experience to do this.

This vision and track record is something that our convenience and independent retail partners instantly recognised and we have enjoyed a positive reaction, especially across the convenience sector with whom we’re currently exploring some innovative packages and lunch/snacking deals to replace crisps and chocolate snacks with a healthy fruit treat.

What is your bestselling product line and what makes this successful?

Florette remains Ireland’s number one salad brand, commanding just under a 25% share (ACNielsen data) of total Irish salad sales. The brand’s shining star is Florette Crispy, which is the number one selling line within the bagged salad category, growing at 29%. It is an iconic core product with a versatile mix of crisp and sweet lettuce leaves that is perfect for serving as an accompaniment to any meal base. Our Baby Leaf and Leafy Rocket lines are also successful performers being our second and third biggest lines respectively.

Is there anything new or different in your offering this year?

We have launched a new salad range to excite and inspire premium consumers bringing together taste and style to the plate, through the combination of the perfect leaf partnership. The new Duo range expertly pairs popular mono leaves together in a handy 70g grab bag and currently offers Lambs Lettuce & Wild Rocket plus Lambs Lettuce & Ruby Chard, both priced from €1.49 and on shelf in Dunnes and Musgrave respectively.

What will your consumer marketing campaigns involve throughout 2011?

The Florette brand has a strong track record of using marketing investment to drive category growth and this year has been no exception. We can draw on our wealth of consumer insight together with previous experience to shape a blend of marketing activity that reaches exactly the right people and places, at the right time. A vibrant TV advertising campaign will amplify our brand credentials of freshness and quality by highlighting the spirit and personality behind our brand to resonate with our consumers whilst this summer’s investment in-store promotional and sampling activity has been designed to drive awareness and prompt trial.

How can retailers drive this category?

By bringing the category to life on the shelf through impactful merchandising and considered product segmentation. Consumers need to be offered inspiration and variety in response to their specific needs, tastes and budgets. Retailers can also help drive the category by giving consumers a financial helping hand through promotional activity.

Q&A with…

Emma Crewe, multiple marketing manager, Fyffes

What do you believe to be at the core of your brand as a fresh supplier – what separates you as a supplier from the rest of the competition?

As one of the world’s leading distributors of bananas Fyffes have developed a wealth of knowledge and expertise along with a vast and sophisticated supply chain that ensures that only the finest bananas carry the famous Fyffes blue label. Quality is of paramount importance for consumers when it comes to bananas. Fyffes therefore retains complete control over every stage of the production process (from farms, to shipping, to ripening, to distribution) to ensure our bananas are of consistently superior quality. We continue to ensure that our vessel to Europe stops in Waterford to ensure our fruit is as fresh possible.

Fyffes2 Is there anything new or different in your offering this year?

In May of this year we launched a new product for the convenience, forecourt and foodservice market. It’s a premium Fyffes single banana product that has been designed to fit at key purchase point areas e.g; at deli counters, checkout areas etc.
There are 25 premium Fyffes bananas in each case and each banana is individually barcoded. The purpose of this product is to drive incremental sales of bananas for retailers by placing a premium product in impulse purchase areas such as deli counters, and checkout areas.

In a recent survey* we discovered that 64% of consumers snack at least once per day and fruit is the most popular snack with 55% of consumers choosing fruit as their primary between meal snack. However, only 9% of consumers purchase bananas regularly in convenience stores. This is a lost opportunity given that 50% of consumers eat at least one banana per day.

What will your consumer marketing campaigns involve throughout 2011?

Our marketing campaign is already in full swing. Our ‘chimp’ advert is on air throughout 2011 and this TV campaign will be supported with intermittent press campaigns. Our main focus is on emphasizing the superior quality of our Fyffes bananas versus some of the inferior substitutes we have seen on the market of late.

In addition we are mid way through our 12 week on pack promotion with our Freddy Fyffes product. The promotion provides consumers with four free 2 for 1 passes to over 70 of Ireland’s leading family attractions when they purchase just two promotional packs of Freddy Fyffes. This promotion has been supported with POS in store, radio and press advertising and via Facebook and has proved incredibly successful as the Freddy Fyffes product really helps to attract children to the product and the offer provides families with half price family days out.

Banana How can retailers drive the fruit and vegetable category?

As noted above a key way in which convenience and forecourt retailers can drive sales of bananas is by positioning the new Fyffes single banana product in a key footfall area.

On a more general note there are Fyffe Golden Rules we advocate retailers employ at the final stage of the bananas long journey to ensure their Fyffes bananas remain in tip top condition which is the key factor to driving sales of bananas.

The Fyffe Golden Rules
1. Handle like eggs – Bananas are extremely prone to bruising and scarring so they should be handled by the top of the bunch only. In addition, do not stack boxes more than five high and don’t place heavy items on top of your Fyffes banana cartons.
2. Temperature control – Storing bananas at the correct temperature is vital to successful banana sales. Bananas are best maintained at 13-16 degrees Celsius to ensure shelf life is maximized.
3. Storage – Bananas should be kept away from doors, draughts and heating vents. In cold weather you may need to actually place a blanket over the carton to prevent heat loss in an unheated storeroom
4. Location – Bananas should be prominently situated on shoppers’ main routes in a prime location.
5. Display – Ensure the bananas are a bright yellow colour when placed on shelves and as one of Ireland’s best selling fruits it is important to ensure the display is regularly replenished.

Sponge IT Research, Brand Tracking Survey 2010 & 2011

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