Stemilt: bagged cherries dominate
Stemilt: bagged cherries dominate
Greater merchandising flexibility and more efficiency at retail are the two key reasons that retailers will continue to favor random- weight bags as their cherry package of choice, according to marketers with Wenatchee, WA-based Stemilt Growers.
Stemilt Marketing Director Roger Pepperl said that bagged cherries continue to dominate the retailing landscape, and new styles of bags are giving retailers choices and making bags even more attractive.
Stemilt, a leading sweet cherry shipper, has packed a variety of clamshells and different types of cherry bags for several seasons. For dark-sweet cherries, Mr. Pepperl said that the company packs eight 2.25-pound pouch-style bags in a standard-size carton or 12 two-pound bags in a euro-footprint carton. In the euro footprint, customers can order cherries in three different styles of bags: slider, press-to-close and pouch. The delicate, light-colored Rainier cherry is available in 1.25-pound bags at 12 per euro- footprint carton.
Clamshells also come in various configurations. Available in one-, two- and four-pound sizes, dark-sweet cherries come in all three. Stemilt offers Rainier cherries in one- and two-pound containers. But with all these selections available from Stemilt, Mr. Pepperl said that bagged cherries continue to see the most growth, with fewer customers requesting clamshell packages.
"At $2.99 per pound, a two-pound bag of cherries is $6, which is a relatively high price point," he said. "But when consumers see cherries advertised at $2.99 per pound, they're much more willing to consider the purchase versus the two-pound clamshell listed for $6.99."
Mr. Pepperl said that packaging requirements call for a sealed carton like a clamshell to be priced based on the amount of fruit inside. By comparison, random-weight bags, which are shipped and displayed open, can still be priced by the pound. Consumers tend to suffer "sticker shock" when they see cherries in a clamshell selling for a higher price, he said.
While bagged cherries have grown in popularity, there is still space in retail for clamshell containers. Mr. Pepperl said that four- pound clamshells are a good package for large-box retailers and club stores. In addition, around the Fourth of July, when shoppers need picnic and barbecue items, larger clamshells are a hot item for many retailers.
Mr. Pepperl said that Stemilt's bag-plus-euro-footprint-carton combinations are becoming the most popular among customers. The euro-footprint carton allows stores to create displays that have more visual impact. In addition, at both the supermarket and the distribution center, retailers reap the benefits of expending the same resources to move, rotate and stock a larger box of cherries. Random-weight bags in a slider or zip-to-seal format also seem to be the latest evolving trend in bags, Mr. Pepperl said. The slider bags ship and display open just like the pouch-style bags, but they can be sealed after the cherries are purchased. He said that consumers like the convenience of sealing their bags of cherries once they get them home. Stemilt is stocking more of this type of bag to meet expected demand.
Stemilt will introduce colorful labels for both dark-sweet and Rainier bags this season. The labels feature the PLU number for each.
Stemilt Marketing Director Roger Pepperl said that bagged cherries continue to dominate the retailing landscape, and new styles of bags are giving retailers choices and making bags even more attractive.
Stemilt, a leading sweet cherry shipper, has packed a variety of clamshells and different types of cherry bags for several seasons. For dark-sweet cherries, Mr. Pepperl said that the company packs eight 2.25-pound pouch-style bags in a standard-size carton or 12 two-pound bags in a euro-footprint carton. In the euro footprint, customers can order cherries in three different styles of bags: slider, press-to-close and pouch. The delicate, light-colored Rainier cherry is available in 1.25-pound bags at 12 per euro- footprint carton.
Clamshells also come in various configurations. Available in one-, two- and four-pound sizes, dark-sweet cherries come in all three. Stemilt offers Rainier cherries in one- and two-pound containers. But with all these selections available from Stemilt, Mr. Pepperl said that bagged cherries continue to see the most growth, with fewer customers requesting clamshell packages.
"At $2.99 per pound, a two-pound bag of cherries is $6, which is a relatively high price point," he said. "But when consumers see cherries advertised at $2.99 per pound, they're much more willing to consider the purchase versus the two-pound clamshell listed for $6.99."
Mr. Pepperl said that packaging requirements call for a sealed carton like a clamshell to be priced based on the amount of fruit inside. By comparison, random-weight bags, which are shipped and displayed open, can still be priced by the pound. Consumers tend to suffer "sticker shock" when they see cherries in a clamshell selling for a higher price, he said.
While bagged cherries have grown in popularity, there is still space in retail for clamshell containers. Mr. Pepperl said that four- pound clamshells are a good package for large-box retailers and club stores. In addition, around the Fourth of July, when shoppers need picnic and barbecue items, larger clamshells are a hot item for many retailers.
Mr. Pepperl said that Stemilt's bag-plus-euro-footprint-carton combinations are becoming the most popular among customers. The euro-footprint carton allows stores to create displays that have more visual impact. In addition, at both the supermarket and the distribution center, retailers reap the benefits of expending the same resources to move, rotate and stock a larger box of cherries. Random-weight bags in a slider or zip-to-seal format also seem to be the latest evolving trend in bags, Mr. Pepperl said. The slider bags ship and display open just like the pouch-style bags, but they can be sealed after the cherries are purchased. He said that consumers like the convenience of sealing their bags of cherries once they get them home. Stemilt is stocking more of this type of bag to meet expected demand.
Stemilt will introduce colorful labels for both dark-sweet and Rainier bags this season. The labels feature the PLU number for each.
