Our retail store visits were this past Tuesday, and while there was consistency with products and origins from past visits, there were some noticeable areas that retailers are focusing on. Here’s what we found out, and what the market is saying:

Focus on tropical – many of the stores are pushing all types of tropical produce. Consumers are getting more and more familiar with tropical staples such as mangoes, pineapples and papayas, and are now introducing some lesser seen items such as baby bananas and starfruit to their households. These items were available at all retailers, with many promoting the tropical trend to encourage consumers to buy. Publications note that many growers, shippers and retailers are viewing the tropical arena as a major growth area and note the great taste, flavor, color and nutrition of these items as the basic components that drive sales.

Hothouse cucumber pricing – while availability at the retail level was high, prices reflected reports from publications: as higher grade cucumbers come scarcer, prices may increase. Current production of cucumbers is coming from older fields. Newer fields have started but production is light.

Mini watermelon availability – with many noting the deal in starting very all for all shippers, mini watermelons are in every store visited, with good availability. Predictions are that April will see strong supplies of minis and seedless throughout North America.

Mango craze – mangoes are in all stores in notable volumes. In addition, there are more varieties available to consumers, with ataulfo and tommy atkins being the most commonly available. Produce publications report that mango supplies could top 1 billion pounds this year, and that the market remains strong. Mango consumption per capita has increased by 30% from 2005 to 2012. These trends indicate that growth is not likely to slow within the next several years.

Retail visits occur monthly, and are a market research tool that we use to determine changes in buying patterns & seasonality and allow us to better assist our customers with their operations. Contact us today to discuss further and check back soon for more data!