CARROLLTON, TX - CMI's imported Club Apple brand apples are flying off the shelves this summer, and retailers are taking notice. According to a recent study by the Nielsen Perishables Group, both sales and volume numbers for import apple brands were up as of June 1st.
Robb Myers, Director of Sales and Imports at CMI, backed up these findings, observing that the supermarket volume numbers of KIKU® brand apples doubled during May. Kanzi®, Koru, Sweet Tango, Pacific Rose, and AmbrosiaTM figures are also rising.
“International production from our southern hemisphere club variety partners continues to grow and we’re seeing it payoff in terms of greater supermarket sales during the summer months,” Myers said.
Myers went on to explain that the key driver of this growth was improved supermarket distribution. “Winning retailers are allocating more shelf space to club varieties and brands just like they have for summer Navels,” he said. “In the past we saw some club apple brands suffer during summer as retailers cut back distribution and shelf space to make room for seasonal products like stone fruit, melons and grapes. That’s really changed. On KIKU® brand alone, U.S. retail distribution increased by over 50%.”
Myers also notes that the increased domestic storage and production of Gala and Fuji apples, the traditional focus of Southern hemisphere growers, has further incentivized a shift to club brands like KIKU and Kanzi apples.
Retailers should be excited about this recent trend because “these club apple brands are a great incremental sales driver for supermarkets,” said Myers. “Apple consumers are loyal and when they see fresh products in the stores, it energizes the category at precisely the right time in the summer when retailers need it.”
According to a press release, CMI's imported Ambrosia apples and its Golden Bosc pears will be available through the end of July. KIKU®, Kanzi, and Cripps Pink apples will be available till the end of August.
