With the unprecedented early cherry harvest, supplies are falling abruptly and retailers will now have missing sales dollars unless they fill the void with alternatives.

“Historically, mid-July to mid-August are some of the most productive weeks for cherries — averaging over $3,000 per store per week," Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing at CMI, said in a press release.CMI is offering any freestanding displays free of charge while supplies last. "With severely limited volume, cherry dollars will probably fall to less than 50 percent of the historical average. That’s a shortfall of $1,500 per store per week that won’t be filled by cherries. Being aggressive about lining up promotions with alternative products that resonate with consumers can help offset this loss.”

The company suggested that imported KIKU brand apples and Ambrosia apples can fill this void for many retailers this season. Last year, during the summer selling season, sales of imported Ambrosia and KIKU peaked between July 15 and Aug. 10. This year they will be available all the way up until the domestic crop is harvested.

Following the lead of a very successful domestic Ambrosia and KIKU crop, Robb Myers, director of imports for CMI, planned an aggressive approach for this import season.

“These two premium apples have been such strong contenders during the fall and winter months, and we’re excited to bring in volume supplies for the late summer months for the first time,” Myers said in the release. "This allows sales momentum to continue for these high-performing apples all the way up until the Domestic crop begins again in the fall."

Bob Mast, president of CMI, explained what a large victory it is to have finally grown these two great programs to this capacity. “These exclusive apples and their new late summer availability will help energize apple sales during a period where slowed movement is typically experienced. We are entering unchartered territory as an industry, with the ability to add incremental sales on a category that has not had any new life injected into it over the summer. For years, all that was available during the later summer months were Reds, Goldens, Grannies and imported Gala,” said Mast.

Mast said that according to scan data results, the key to implementing any successful promotion starts with pricing. “Top performing retailers use price points to encourage trial, typically at $1.49 a pound on promotion and $1.79-1.99 a pound every day,” he said. “Along with pricing, display size and/or secondary displays are key.”