KIKU® Brand Apples Set April Supermarket Sales Records
WENATCHEE, WA - KIKU® brand apples set supermarket sales records for April, according to newly released data from Nielsen Perishables Group.
For the most recent four week period ending April 29, 2015, U.S. supermarket sales of KIKU® increased by 484%, the largest increase in the apple category, according to a press release from Columbia Marketing International (CMI). KIKU® volume increased by 615%.
“During April, KIKU® had stronger increases in sales and volume than every other branded apple or any individual variety,” said Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. “Nielsen data breaks out 40 different apples brands and varieties. No other apple came close to matching this performance.”
During the same period, apple category retail pricing declined by 6.9 percent as a result of the record apple harvest last fall. Lutz continued that the category sales increases being driven by branded apples like KIKU® is good news for retailers struggling with dollar deflation in the apple category.
Robb Myers, CMI’s Vice President of Sales, echoed this sentiment, noting that high value apples like KIKU® are having a significant impact in driving category performance for retailers.
“If you examine performance of the top 15 selling apple brands and varieties, only five generated dollar increases for supermarkets over the same period last year," he said. "Other than Honeycrisp every growth item was a branded apple like KIKU®.”
Myers added that the company has a full supply of imported KIKU ready to go for retailers “looking to drive incremental growth in the apple category,” said Myers.
The popular apple brand is well positioned for further growth thanks to CMI’s strong alliances with growers in New Zealand.
