New report shows KIKU brand apples are setting records
New report shows KIKU brand apples are setting records
A newly released Category Statistics (CatStat) report released by Columbia Marketing International shows that KIKU apples had the highest growth rate of any apple in the Top 40. According to Nielsen scan data, during the four-week period ending April 25, KIKU sales surged by 484 percent and KIKU volume was up a stunning 615 percent. In March (when apple sales historically decline), KIKU sales soared and are continuing to set summer records.
Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing for CMI, attributes this growth to the fact that more consumers are discovering the superior sweetness of KIKU apples, which is forging repeat sales. “The study evaluated KIKU performance data in retail chains all over the U.S.,” he said. “There are some critically different approaches used by top retailers, for apple sales, that supermarket chains at the back of the pack simply don’t use.” Lutz added that the CatStat report provides retailers with secrets to key sales success. “Displaying, merchandising, telling the story and running promotions — all of these tools can be used by any retailer, of any size, to maximize sales,” he said.
According to Robb Myers, vice president of imports for CMI, premium imported KIKU arriving from New Zealand and Chile are taking the program one step closer to having year-round availability. “Our customers are leveraging the success they have had with our domestic KIKU crop and are maximizing profits by rolling right into imported fruit,” he said.
Click here for the full report.