BAKERSFIELD, CA - Traeger grills are a beacon of culinary excellence for many, and sweet potatoes belong inside every one. Bako Sweet® highlighted this iconic pairing through a unique retail merchandising contest, challenging Produce Managers from Sprouts Colton Distribution Center to create the most creative displays using the brand’s organic sweet potato bags.
“We created this contest to show how effective display bins can be when trying to increase sales,” said Alexandra Rae Molumby, Director of Marketing for Bako Sweet. “We look forward to seeing sales grow during the summer months as retailers see the effectiveness of using merchandising displays to drive demand.”
The contest, which ran from May 20 to July 4, promoted sweet potatoes during historically low sales months. On average, stores that participated saw a 35 percent case per store, per week lift and a total tonnage lift of 127 percent. Retailers that used the Traeger bin saw double the tonnage lift and a 6.1 percent increase in sales on average versus stores that did not use the bin, a press release stated.
Retail sales winners with the greatest tonnage growth included:
- 1st Place, Traeger grill: Store 438, Dean Yoshinaga, West Covina, California
- 2nd Place, BBQ tool set: Store 255, Scott Goodman, Woodland Hills, California
- 3rd Place, Personalized BBQ cutting board: Store 231, Marc De Los Santos, Solana Beach, California
Retail display winners awarded based on effort/creativity included:
- 1st Place, Yeti Cooler: Store 203, Kevin Noguez, San Marcos, California
- 2nd Place, $100 Amazon gift card: Store 257, Nick Mcardle, Monrovia, California
- 3rd Place, $50 Amazon gift card: Store 254, Jose Garcia, Hemet, California
In the spirit of good old-fashioned produce fun, all other display contest participants received a $25 Amazon gift card for their participation.
“One of our goals this year was to increase sweet potato sales during the summer months,” said Chris Campion, Senior Sales Manager – Colton at Sprouts Farmers Market. “We found this merchandising display extremely valuable in lifting sales and helping shoppers visualize using sweet potatoes on the grill.”
Bako Sweet also hosted a Traeger grill giveaway for consumers that took place online. This year’s winner, Michael Searle, was a shopper from San Marcos, California.
Congratulations to the contest winners!
